


My Immortal

by HedaLok



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: 97 years before dropship, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Clexa Week, F/F, F/M, I PROMISE IT IS CLEXA GIVE IT TIME, Major Original Character(s), No Becca Pramheda, Prequel, Slow Burn, TW: Mentions of Past Rape, super slow burn, tags to be added later, tw: PTSD, tw: abuse, tw: sexual assault
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:02:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 41,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25374334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HedaLok/pseuds/HedaLok
Summary: Two immortal lovers separated by time and space. After 97 years they finally meet again, when a dropship from space sends 100 juvenile prisoners down to Earth, to see if it is survivable. Will these two lovers be able to bring both people together, go their own way, or will it eventually destroy everything?Eventual Clexa, super slow burn, bear with it.
Relationships: Anya/Raven Reyes, Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Octavia Blake/Lincoln, Original Female/Original Female
Comments: 80
Kudos: 130





	1. 97 Years Before The Drop Ship - Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> The Absolute Insanity that is my brain, welcome. 
> 
> So this is my first posted fic. bear with me. This is CLEXA I swear it. You just have to bear with the beginning a bit. 
> 
> This does start 97 years before the dropship even comes down. Each chapter will have a NAME at the top, that is who's point of view it is. 
> 
> Shorter first few chapters as everything is set up.

**Lt. Kiran Snyder:**

It was a quiet spring afternoon that found Mako and I curled up in the shade of a silver maple tree. We had finally gotten a break from the constant work of our posting at the base. There was always something to fix, someone to train, questions to answer. I had planned a simple picnic to get away from the chaos of a training military base. I adjusted my shirt, my jacket on and open, as I laid back against the tree trunk. My eyes fell on Mako, the love of my life, the reason I breathe. We had known each other for nearly a decade at this point, she was my everything. Pulling her against me, I smiled brightly. Her red hair pulled back into a pony-tail as she rolled her eyes at a joke I had just made; one I had made many times over the last few months. Our conversation turned serious, as a thought crossed my mind. There had been rumors that we were on the brink of a nuclear war, World War III. There were always rumors, but these seemed more solid. 

"How big do you think these nuclear threats really are?" I glanced over at her, her emerald eyes shined in confusion at the topic change. She knew by now that my mind went in many different directions at once. 

"Knowing what I know, probably a lot more real than anyone else knows." She leaned against me, her head on my shoulder. "All I know is that, if it does happen, I will be at your side, Kiran."

"So, the rumors of an Ark are true." I concluded easily from her words that the government was taking serious precautions, meaning it was only a matter of time now. The biggest rumor we had heard was of the space station currently orbiting the planet. That the elite few would be shuttled up, saved, leaving the rest of us on the ground; left to survive or die. 

"Even if they are true, knowing how selfish people can be, there is no chance in hell that a devil dog like me and a squid like you are getting anywhere near them."

"If the nukes come before it's complete, then maybe we'll get lucky?" I jokingly asked, knowing that we'd likely die from a nuke long before we could reach whatever secret base they were building the shuttles on. 

She pressed a kiss to my temple, humming in answer before actually speaking. "Lucky... I hardly see spending the rest of my life in a tin can in space is a good idea."

"Even if it means you'll live?" I looked at her in concern, reaching to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her pale skin had started to pink from the sun. 

"200 years in space, or 20 minutes here on Earth, as long as I am with you."

"So you wouldn't take a chance of a few more years together? Just because it's in space?"

She laughed softly. "I said, as long as you are with me, that's all that matters."

"Would you make me go if I could get on the ship, but you couldn't?"

"If it meant saving your life, yes." 

Her answer had me reeling. She would save my life, even if it cost her, her own. "Even if I didn't want to?" 

"If you didn't want to?" She paused a moment before sighing. "I wouldn't force you to do something, but if you got chosen, I don't know what I would do, love."

I knew, I could already feel it deep inside me. She'd likely come to hate me at some point, but if I had to, if she got a seat and I didn't, I'd make her go. Her earlier words finally clicked as to what she was feeling. I would sacrifice myself if it meant she would live. "Hopefully it never comes to that."

"Agreed." 

We continued to chat quietly, the conversation turning to the recruits we had been training. They seemed to get more stubborn with each new class. It had to be 10 minutes later that we heard a whistling sound. She pointed to a black dot in the sky that seemed to be getting bigger and bigger and nudged me. "What exactly is that?"

Glancing up at it, I couldn't stop the tight warning in my chest the moment I realized it was moving fast in our direction. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good and we needed to get out of there as quickly as we could. "What do you think is the likelihood that it's a nuke?" I quickly asked.

"In this kind of atmosphere... high." Mako looked at me. "We need to get somewhere... now."

Instantly standing, I grabbed her hand and pulled her up after me. It seemed like everything was moving in slow motion from those words onward. 

"Come on, this way." Turning, I started running, with her in tow, toward the Medical Building behind us. There were few places on the base that had bunkers capable of surviving a blast of any major size, but we were nowhere near one. 

She followed a step behind as the missile came even closer. "There's no bunker in this building."

"No, but there's a BioHazard lab that’s meant to keep it all in if there's a spill." I assure her, dragging her into the building. 

Hallway after hallway, two flights down the stairs, had us just down the hall from one of the Biohazard labs. I knew that if this was a nuke, the biohazard lockdown would at least be some kind of safeguard to the radiation. We ducked into the BioHazard lab. The room itself was filled with tables and various equipment, nothing that would help us in our current predicament. I sealed the door, triggering the alarm and locking us in. That would be the only protection I could offer to us. Whatever happened now, was up to fate itself. 

"Promise me something?" I asked, looking at her. My heart was breaking for the situation we found ourselves in. 

"What?" She asked, pulling me tightly to her, her face buried in my chest. 

"If something happens to me, you take my unit patch, keep it with you. It's yours." I tapped my shoulder patch on my uniform jacket. I had earned it just a few months before, when I was assigned to the Tech division of the base. We both had been so proud when I was presented with it. 

"Only if you agree to do the same." She placed her hand on my cheek, looking me in the eyes; unshed tears barely being held back. "I love you, now and forever." 

"I love you, always and eternal." Reaching up, I pulled her down into a passionate kiss, knowing it would likely be our last. There was a defining boom before the ground rolled under our feet ripping us apart and throwing us to the floor. I quickly pulled her under me, wanting to shield her from anything and everything. Her smaller frame was easily covered by my larger one. The walls groaned before the whole room began to shake. I wrapped my arms tighter around her, moving so her head was under my chest. I would do everything I could to protect her as the room fell to pieces around us. 

"I love you." Was the last thing I whispered as a large chunk of concrete from the wall hit me in the head. The blackness swallowed me up, as the heat of the explosion swept over us. 

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	2. Chapt 2: 97 Years Before Dropship - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picks up a few hours from the end of Chapter 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE! 
> 
> New chapter just for yall. Will be posting weeklie from now on. just wanted to say thank you for the attention this is getting.

**Master Gunnery Sgt Mako Via:**

My body felt heavy and tight as I slowly came to. I quickly realized it was my girlfriend's body on top of mine that I was feeling, but that couldn't be right. It meant we'd survived, how could that be? We should have been incinerated at the worst. We should not be whole and relatively unharmed. That was certain. 

Kiran moaned softly, as she rolled onto a pile of concrete, off my body. "My head hurts." Her words were slightly slurred, signaling a head injury of some sort. 

"We should be dead." I whispered softly as I slowly sat up. "I remember burning..."

Her fingers traced over a fading mark on my arm, a burn that looked years old, as she looked at me. "Either this is hell... or we did survive..."

Climbing to my feet, I slowly turned in a circle, looking beyond the crumbled walls to the destruction that lay around us. The near open sky above us showed that the building we had taken shelter in had been leveled completely. We would need to climb out of this hole, but I spotted an easy looking path. That would be our way out. 

"Mako... what happened?" 

Turning back toward her, I moved to kneel down next to her. I lifted her chin to look me in the eye. "Kiran... We just did the impossible and survived a nuclear explosion..." I explained softly.

"That's not possible."

"Don't you remember seeing the missile coming? Running for cover in the Medical Building?"

She shook her head. "All I remember is kissing you, a big boom and waking up."

Reaching out, I grabbed her arm and helped her to her feet. She stumbled slightly, unsteady. "Look around you."

She looked around, slightly foggy, but gasped as she saw the wreckage. "What the hell happened? Were we attacked?"

"The nuke, Kiran... I'm pretty sure someone just started World War Three. The world isn't going to survive this. The protection of mutually assured destruction no longer exists." Tugging on her arm, I began leading her up the path I had spotted, and away from the crater not even a full hundred yards away. "Come on, even if we both miraculously have a strong resistance to the radiation, we still only have a small window to get out of here."

She followed, stumbling once again. "Mako, please, what's going on? We were having a picnic and suddenly an explosion, and I'm waking up in a pile of rubble, my head killing me." She was rambling at this point, her thought process clearly altered by the head injury.

"I'm trying Kiran, but we don't have the time for us to wait around and you get your bearings."

She nodded, grabbing a hold of my arm holding her tightly. "Where do we go?"

"As far away from here as possible."

"Ok. Lead the way." Still slightly dazed, she followed step by step. It took nearly 3 hours before we both fell over in exhaustion, on a river bank. "Mako, I can't go any further."

Breathing heavily, I slowly nodded. "I just don't understand how we weren't burned alive." I mumbled more to myself than anything else.

She quickly pulled me into her arms, holding onto the only thing she knew. "Where are we going to go now? The base was just blown to smithereens."

"And everything in a couple mile radius. Honestly, I don't think the base was the target."

"What do you think was the target? The base or the city?"

"The city, but they missed..." Shaking my head, I rubbed at my eyes. "Which likely means that it is someone not very familiar with the layout of the states, which means someone further east into Europe."

"They missed by nearly 75 miles." She ran her fingers through her brunette hair. The short locks still somewhat matted with blood; causing her fingers to get caught in the tangles. Even the slightly shaved section at the back of her head was tinted red. "We have to get to Charleston, and hope that it hasn’t been leveled too." 

"Kiran... We've been walking for the last three hours in the opposite direction of the city."

"Fucking hell." Leaning against a pole, she took a deep breath. “We can’t very well turn around and go back the way we came, so what do we do?"

"Keep moving... We have to get as far away from the radiation zone as possible."

"And after that? They probably think everyone from the base is dead... What do we do then?"

"Lie, tell them we were able to get away in time. Otherwise they'll quarantine us."

She sat quietly for a moment, looking at the river. “We should probably clean up. I doubt they would believe us if we show up looking like we’ve been beaten, nearly to death in my situation.” I could follow her thoughts. She did look like she took a bath in blood. 

Gently helping her strip her jacket and shirt off, I led her to the water’s edge and helped her clean the blood off. It took nearly twenty minutes for her hair to actually rinse clean. She nodded to me, my arms speckled with blood as well. Once the two of us were clean, we redressed and stood. I watched her deep brown eyes as they cleared up finally. She no longer looked dazed, which filled me with calm. Head injuries are notorious for being extremely dangerous; but it seemed the two of us had healed from the injuries that had been inflicted upon us. She rubbed at her head, as if the pain was fading.

“We were either in Charleston or on our way back when it happened? Do you think that will work?” Her concern echoed in her voice. Our story had to be solid or there would be some questioning that neither of us wanted to get into. "The missile was guided, yet, they missed."

"Do you realize just how old some of these missiles are? How long have they been waiting? I'm not surprised it malfunctioned."

"Still, it wobbled. Almost as if it was trying to correct itself, before we started running."

"It still missed." Grabbing her hand, I pulled her with me as we started walking again.

For the next four hours we walked in near silence, watching as the world fell into chaos around us. I could feel Kiran getting more and more upset. Knowing her, she was likely to lash out and try to fight something. 

As we passed another crater of a town, bodies everywhere, she snapped. With a scream she launched herself at a still standing tree, her hands swinging wildly. I knew I couldn’t get in between her and the tree, she needed to work this out for herself. She would be hurting after this, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. Her arms slowed, she was running low on energy. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pressed my head against her shoulder. 

“My love, listen to my words.” I spoke softly, knowing she would be able to hear me. “No matter what we see, I will always be with you. The people that did this will pay, the lives lost will be honored. This blood will be answered with blood.” 

She calmed at my touch and sank against me as I spoke to her. 

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	3. 97 Years Before Dropship - Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 3 of 97 years before. Only one more prequel chapter, we see cannon characters soon. I promise. 
> 
> Kiran's POV.
> 
> Trigedasleng is in Italics

**Kiran:**

Five long days, that’s how long it took for us to walk from South Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida. Along the way, it was nothing but deserted towns and leveled cities. It seemed the entire Eastern seaboard was the target of the attack. It broke my heart to see the charred ruins of smaller cities. More than once on the journey, I broke down, violently attacking a tree or wall nearby. It was only Mako that kept me focused each time I snapped. Her calm words rang in my head each time. Another thing we noticed was that we were healing quickly, despite our injuries. The massive gash on my head was healed in two days, my broken hand healed in a few hours. We had no idea how this occurred, but it was another thing that we would keep quiet. 

Midday on day five had us walking up to the gates of NAS JAX, a naval air station. A hasty barrier had been built, only allowing foot traffic onto the base. It was no longer the base I remembered my dad being stationed on when I was a child. As we approached the gates, I heard shouting from deep inside. The gates were locked, armed guards everywhere, guns trained on us. With several shouts of ‘Halt!’, we froze in our tracks, our hands visible to the guards. 

"Whoa whoa, Lt. Kiran Snyder, Parris Island Technical Detachment." I slowly reached into my back pocket and pulled out my wallet, offering my ID to the guard in front of the gate. 

The guard, a young man, his beard scruffy, moved forward, motioning me to walk forward slowly towards the gate. I passed the ID to the guard, before he nodded, turning to the gate. "She's good."

"MGySgt Mako Via." Mako slowly stepped forward, also offering her ID. He took hers as well, nodding as the picture and face matched. He motioned for the gate to open, nodding to it, as he went back to his spot. Grabbing Mako's hand, I slipped in the opening, meeting another soldier; an older looking woman, who motioned for us to follow her. 

“Lt. Kiran Snyder, you said? I am Lt. Kristen Gavan.” There was something about her voice that had me on edge. "The Parris Island explosion, we assumed you were dead. You were supposed to be brought here a few days ago."

"It was a missile, not an explosion. What do you mean I was supposed to be brought here?"

"It was a Nuke." Mako said under her breath as she looked around.

She nodded, looking at her. “We know it was a nuke, radiation has been spreading through the country given the sheer amount of bombs that were launched.” She hesitated before finishing. “As to your question, Lt., I can’t answer that. I am sure that Captain Perdia will want to speak to you on that.” She led us into a building towards the med bay; she paused at the door and motioned for us to go in. 

“Hey Doc, got two for you, give them a full check. I will be back in a bit for one of them.” Without another word to either of us, she disappeared down the hall. 

"Hello." An older man, his medic unit patch prominent on his arm, stepped out of a side room as we entered. His white coat hung open showing his camouflage uniform. 

"Sir." I nodded, quickly falling to attention. He far outranked me. "Lt. Kiran Snyder, MGySgt Mako Via, Parris Island."

"Survivors?" He was clearly surprised as he quickly motioned us forward. "Please, sit down quickly. I must be certain of your exposure." We followed instructions, taking a seat on one of the beds. He pulled out a radiation scanner, holding it to various spots on my body. The machine made no sounds as it passed over both of us. I looked at Mako, wondering what it meant; medicine had always been a hobby of hers. 

"It means we're in the clear and clean of all radiation."

"How?" I stopped myself from going forward, knowing that if I continued, we would be caught. "So what now doc?"

"Well, nothing. We assumed anyone that close to the blast should have been at least partially contaminated but you're both clean."

"Is it possible that we were exposed, but our bodies have filtered everything out?" Mako asked, looking between myself and the doctor. There had to be a reason that we were still alive. 

"It is possible for one of you to have been that one in a million, but for both of you is highly improbable."

I nodded, looking at the man. "I guess us going off base was a great idea."

"I imagine it was the only thing that saves your lives."

Taking a deep breath, I reached out and took Mako's hand. "I'm glad we got away."

"Me too."

"All done Doc?" The woman from the gate was back, standing at the door. "The commander needs to see Lt. Snyder."

"They're both clean." He waved his hand dismissively, heading back toward his office.

"Lt. Snyder, follow me. MGySgt. Via, you can follow Sgt Peace to the mess hall, get some grub."

Mako stood and moved to wrap her arms around my waist. "I'll see you when you're done?"

"Don't leave me?" I whispered, laying my head on her shoulder. "I don't want to go alone, I feel like this conversation I am about to have, is going to change everything."

"You know it's not up to me."

"The commander said alone, Lt." She pressed. "Classified information." I nodded, pressing a quick kiss to Mako's lips.

"Save me something?"

_ “I will try.”  _ She pressed a light kiss to my jaw before stepping back, dropping into our made up language. 

_ “Just try? Neither of us have eaten proper since that day.” _ I countered.

_ “Which means we both need to eat something small and soft on our stomachs or we will regret it.” _

_ “Soup? I could really go for some beef and veggie soup.”  _ Smirking, I winked at her and headed out the door.  _ “Love you.” _

I was led to an office reception area in one of the more fortified buildings. Lt. Gavan had me sit in a chair as she went into the office. She was in the office for merely a moment, before she reappeared in front of me. I followed her into the office. The room was decorated as one would expect, military regalia everywhere. 

“Lt. Kiran Snyder, reporting as requested.” I snapped to attention and saluted the man behind the desk. The man stood and saluted back, allowing me to relax slightly. 

“Good afternoon, Lt. I am Captain Sean Perdia. Glad to see that you survived.” He motioned to a chair across from him. I took it. “We need to talk.”

An hour later, I was ordered to remain silent on the information I had been told and dismissed. In that hour, I learned about all the hidden activities that the government had been doing for the past decade or so. The Station, as they called it, had been staffed and I had been tapped to go. They needed a tech and someone had thrown my name into the ring. I wandered back to medbay for an aspirin, before attempting to find my girlfriend. 

I found her in the mess hall, chatting with a few other soldiers. One of them noticed me approach and nodded to me. That got Mako’s attention. She looked at me with a smile, before her smile fell as she took in my appearance. She knew something was wrong the moment her eyes locked on mine. 

_ “We need to talk.” _ I spoke up softly, wondering what I was gonna say. 

She instantly turned her body to face me, nodding. Giving a quick, polite, dismissal to the soldiers, she moved to my side, gently leading me out of the mess hall.  _ “What's wrong?” _

_ “Do you remember the conversation we had the day of the attack? The Station and the Ark?” _

_ “Yes…” _

_ “It's true... All of it.” _

_ “And?” _

_ “I've been tapped.” _ My words caught in my throat.  _ “That's why he said alone.” _

_ “Because you're to go and I'm not.” _ Her voice was shaking. 

I could feel my tears run down my cheeks.  _ “I'm not going anywhere without you.” _

_ “When is it leaving?”  _ She asked softly.

_ “Tomorrow, dawn.”  _ I pulled her tightly to me, shaking.  _ “I'm not just gonna spend my life in space, away from the only person that makes me happy.” _

_ “It’s gonna be ok, my love.” _ She whispered, wrapping her arms around my neck and tangling her fingers in the shorter hairs. It was something that she knew I found comforting and she took comfort in as well. We walked silently to the bunk room we had been assigned. If this was to be our last night together, we were going to stick to each other’s side. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had a rough day... figured I would add a chapter, make everyone feel better. <3


	4. 97 Years Before The Dropship - Part 4 + Mako's 97 Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 97 Years Before The Dropship - Part 4 + Mako's 97 Years
> 
> Final part of the pre-100 Drop, adding the 97 years as Mako's lives.

**Mako:**

It was nearly dawn, the time that she had been given to report to the launch pad. A heavy feeling settled in my chest as I glanced over her shoulder and held her close. I watched as one of the several guards stepped forward. I realized in that moment, she was going whether she wanted to or not. They were going to make her and I wouldn’t be able to stop them. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try. 

"She doesn't want to go... I'm not giving her up without a fight." I said harshly to him as two more MPs came silently through the door of our bunk room. 

"Lt. Kiran Snyder, you have been ordered to report to the launch pad at dawn. You are coming with us, now." The taller of the soldiers said. The tone of his voice showed he was beyond annoyed at the two of us clinging to each other. 

"Not without Her I am not." Kiran snapped back, tangling our hands together. 

I stepped around her, putting myself between them and her. "No, this is wrong."

"I refuse to accept that I am being pried away from my home, just because I am military."

"You're not." The lead soldier stepped forward again. "You're being ordered because your specialty is needed aboard. As a Mechanical and Electrical Tech, you are essential for life on The Station. You have already been advised of this." 

A sudden gasping sound behind me had me turning on the spot. I watched as my girlfriend stumbled back slightly, her hand letting go of mine. The doctor we had met the day before standing next to her with a needle in hand.

"No!" Jumping forward, I shoved him hard, away from her. He stumbled back to the ground as I caught her, her legs giving out. "Kiran! Kiran!" I lowered her slowly to the floor, I turned back to the MPs when I heard footsteps behind me. "You have to go through me first."

"We will sedate you if we need to, Gunny." An MP said, stepping forward and grabbing my arm. "Say goodbye to the Lt. and let’s go."

"You should do your research before threatening another soldier you imbecile." Grabbing his wrist, I twisted and snapped it. Crying out, he stumbled away from me as I turned on the spot and caught the hand of the doctor trying to sedate me as he just did Kiran. Taking the syringe from him, I stabbed him in the thigh with it and didn't bother to watch him pass out.

"Mako?" Her voice was weak, but she was still conscious. "Mako?"

Quickly stepping back to her side, never taking my eyes off the MPs in front of me, I reached up and removed one of my dog tags along with the patch on my left arm. Bending down next to her, I put them in her hands. 

_ Here, just in case. Never forget me. _ I whispered softly to her as I took one of her tags and patches.

_ Never going to forget... Will not.... I love you so much.  _ She blacked out. I quickly shoved the patch into her bra and the tag on her necklace; as we had agreed merely 6 days ago. Knowing that they would not want to take it from her now. I knew it would be the only thing I would have to remember my love by. All of our photos had been destroyed in the first bomb, and now she was being stolen from me. 

I quickly moved forward as two of the MPs charged at me. Three more MPs after them and an unnumbered amount of injuries later, four more guards came in, these ones were armed. The first tried to shoot me with a Taser gun, but I side stepped it and broke his arm and knee. I was able to sidestep the second as well, but not the third that hit me in the leg. My body seized as the currents shot through me; a silent scream pulled itself from me as I was hit twice more with two different guns, one in the chest, and one in the back.

It wasn’t the pain of the gun that pulled me to my knees. It was the limp body of the woman I loved, being carried away. My heart broke at that moment. After everything that we had just gone through, she was being stolen from me, by force. She would be in space by the end of the day and we would be separated until we reunited in death. 

As they hit me once more with the taser, my body gave out, landing completely on the floor in a heap. With one final zap, the world went dark. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------

**Mako:**

I'd woken up in the bases holding cells three days later, it hadn't been hard to convince the idiot guard that he didn't have a reason to keep me there when we technically no longer had a reigning government. I watched as the world began to fall to pieces around me, the leaders continued to fire nuclear bombs at each other from their safe havens, not caring that they were killing what was left of their people. Quickly, the world’s population dropped from the billions to the thousands as only one in every million people found themselves surviving the radiation that poisoned the world. At the same time, I found myself getting stronger with each passing day. It was only a few weeks after I lost Kiran that I noticed my eyes had begun to literally glow, along with any scars I still maintained after the first nuke Kiran and I somehow survived.

After a few months, I came across a small group of survivors that had rallied together in a desperate attempt to ward off scum and low lives of the world. Sadly though, none of them were fighters. I took them under my wing and taught them to defend themselves the best that I could. I even went as far as to teach them Kiran and mine's language so that their enemies couldn't understand them.

Over the years, the group grew into a whole society of warriors that helped establish laws and a way of life where the world’s greatest mistakes could never be repeated again. As the generations passed and they realized I wasn't aging, that I was strong than any human should be, that I was faster, that my eyes and scars glowed, they began to bow to me. They gave me many names, some even went as far as to call me a goddess. But none of this mattered to me. Once they were set in their ways and no longer had need of me, I made myself scarce. I spent every moment of the next years mourning my loss; I only ever came out of the place I had come to call home to annoy the Mountain Men, the survivors in the mountain bunker and to help my people. 

Now, 97 years later, I watch a ship fall from the sky. Wondering if the ones that had been named Sky People in the stories were attempting to return to earth early. Reaching up, I lightly rubbed at my chest. For as long as I'd been this way, I'd felt a pull to the stars. I'd always assumed it was my soul calling out in pain for the one it lost, but when the ship landed, I found myself resisting a near uncontrollable urge to run to the wreckage and claim what is mine.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. from the next chaper onward, you will start to see characters you know. 
> 
> Hope you all are enjoying the ride.


	5. Kiran's 97 Years Pass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the title suggests - this is the 97 years from Kiran's pov. You'll see some slightly familiar faces now, along with a family name to keep track of. 
> 
> <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's hurricane season here in Florida. We currently have a small one off the coast, and I'm bored, so here's a new chapter. 
> 
> ENJOY!

**Kiran:**

A week after being kidnapped from my home, forcibly abandoning my beloved on earth, the second round of bombs landed. I watched them decimate my home. I felt my heart break as each flash indicated an explosion, more and more death and damage. 

I was forced into the Tech department, working on the various life support systems. With a background of both electronic and mechanical technology, I was one of the more relied upon techs. There were a few people that I had gotten somewhat close to in the two years before the ‘incident’. 

A good man and engineer named Loudoun Griffin had noticed my degrading mental state and had offered to be a sounding board if I needed it. We became friends. I told him about the life I had left behind, he shared that his wife was allowed aboard, due to her condition. She was pregnant with their first child, a son. I was there when the baby was born, a strong, healthy boy, they named Warren. They named me godmother of the boy. His green eyes reminded me of my love. I fell in love with the boy as my own son. 

Two years into my forced exile, I snapped. A man named George Kane, the head of security, made a comment about LGBT women being in the military, and I tried very hard to keep my cool, but his follow up to that statement had me seeing red. I attacked the man, breaking several bones, his and mine alike. I was hauled to the lock up area, assigned a cell and told that I would have my case reviewed at the end of my sentence. I spent a year locked in that cell. At the end of the year, I was brought in front of the governing body. Standing across the room was Kane. 

It was a simple question they asked me.  _ Are you sorry for what you have done? _ I laughed, Sorry? Not a chance. He had it coming and I would do it again if he made the same comments in front of me. This was apparently the wrong answer. I was told that because I was unwilling to apologize, my crimes would be bumped from simple assault, to capital assault. With a capital charge, I was now to be executed by floating. They took me to one of the air locks near the lock up. Shoving me inside the airlock, I heard the door hiss shut behind me. I looked back at them as they pressed the button that I would take my life. The outer door opened, the air rushed out, spilling into the vacuum of space. I felt my body leave the floor, but I grabbed on. I pulled myself into the airlock, to the amazement of the guards watching and myself. Once the outer door closed, the guards grabbed me and threw me back into the cell. 

The rest of the Ark was advised that I, Kiran Snyder was executed by floating, due to a capital crime. I was ignored for nine years before good old George decided to try again. Once again he failed, and once again I was thrown into my familiar jail cell. Another nine years, another floating attempt. I had figured out that something about surviving a nuclear detonation had given me some kind of resistance to death. How extensive of that resistance, I had no idea. It took another five years before I was told good old George had died and his annoyance of a son, Thomas, took over. Thomas tried to float me another two times in his tenure, before he too died, and his son, Alexander took over. 

I had been locked up for fifty-four years at this point, older than anyone else on the Ark, nearly guaranteed at the age of eighty-two. Even in my ‘advanced’ age, I still looked like an early twenties woman. 

Alexander came to see me a few times before he attempted to kill me. It was a nice change in his family, but I knew he would be just like his father. I laughed loudly as the outer door opened. By this time, I had learned how to lock myself to the airlock floor, a talent I had come to learn in my cell. I found that walking along the ceiling rather cathartic in a weird way. Once more I was thrown back into my cell and I was left alone. 

A solitary existence that I had been living for the last seventy something years had taken its toll. I spent my 100th birthday thinking about my beloved. Thoughts of life on Earth overwhelmed me more often than not. I thought of Mako. How I would ask her to marry me, what our wedding would look like, where we would go for our honeymoon. Would we adopt children or would we try to have biological children? Would we have retired from the military and found a little house on the coast, or perhaps in the mountains. Live a solitary life with only use once the children grew up and had families of their own? How had my godson, Warren, done. Was his family name still there? Did he or his family ever think about me? When had my dear brother Loudoun passed?

So many questions left unanswered by a simple twist of fate. 

A decade went by, I sat forgotten in my cell. Just shy of my 111th birthday, the door opened and I found myself face to face with a woman, dressed in gray clothes, white arm band on her left arm. 

“Doc, what can I do for you?” I asked, wondering what she was doing here. I had never been seen by a doctor since the original doctor the first time I was floated. 

“Prisoner 2, you will be silent while the Doc is in the room, unless she asks you a specific question. Do you understand these orders?” The guard at the door spoke. I hadn’t bothered to ask or learn his name, despite him delivering my rations once a week. 

“Sure.” I answered, rolling my eyes. There was nothing he could do to stop me. Any injuries he inflicted would be gone in a few hours. There was a distinct lack of air in my cell already, more likely due to an issue with the oxygen system, but I could care less. I could survive Space, what did I need air for? 

“Prisoner 2, how old are you?” The doc asked, her tablet in front of her. 

“It’s currently July right?” I asked, and she looked at me. It took a second for her to respond but she nodded. “I turn 111 on August 11th. So 110 and change.” 

The Doc looked at the guard for a moment before writing something down. 

“What’s your name, doc? I gotta have something to call you besides Doc.” I asked, just wanting a name to go with the face. 

“Dr. Abigail Walters.” She answered, her voice clipped. 

“Nice to meet you Dr. Walters.” I offered her my hand. She looked at it for a moment before taking it. I shook it gently and dropped my hand after a few seconds. “I’m not violent…. To the innocent anyways.” 

“You were locked up for capital assault.” She spoke up, not bothering to look at me. 

“I was locked up for defending the LGBT community and LGBT soldiers like myself.” I countered. “That aside, Georgie-Boy was a dick. He deserved it.” 

Dr. Walters looked at me on that, arching her eyebrow. She motioned for me to sit on my bed, grabbing her kit from beside her. 

“I’ll be drawing blood to run some tests. Failure to comply with this, or any fighting with me, will result in disciplinary actions. Do you understand?” 

“If I say no to you drawing my blood… Guardy-Boy gets to beat the shit out of me, force my compliance, and you get what you want anyways.” I shook my head. “Take what you want, I’m too old to deal with this.” 

Dr. Walters did as she wanted, drawing nearly two full pints of blood before leaving the room. The guard, however, decided to leave me with a few parting gifts. Once he was satisfied with the beating he inflected, he too left. 

Another few weeks past before Dr. Walters was back, this time with a few toys. 

“We will be hooking you up to a few machines to get a baseline reading. Once again the same rules apply.” 

“Just a heads up Doc. You might notice my cell has a KEY. No electronic locks, the lights are always flickering. I tend to mess with electronics.” I offered the information I had learned several decades before. “I wouldn’t want to screw with your machines.” 

“Warning understood, however, you will comply.” Dr. Walters shoved me towards my bed. She quickly strapped me to several machines all at once. They seem to work for a few minutes before going haywire. 

I jerk as one of the machines sends a solid zap to my ribs. “You may wanna get them off me now…” As I finished speaking one of the machines started smoking. 

She quickly removed the machines and left, the guard once again leaving me with a few broken ribs and a broken nose. 

That was the last time I saw Dr. Abigail Walters. I would see her again, but in a different light, with a different last name entirely. She would sully that last name, one I had come to love. 


	6. The Last Week In Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiran's last week in space
> 
> Plus some very familiar faces appear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Like i said in the last chapter... theres a hurricane and I'm bored. 
> 
> ENJOY!

**Kiran:**

It had been twenty-four years since they last tried what they were currently doing. I was handcuffed, led through the station, and to the airlock. “Again?” They looked at me as if I had a second head. “Dude you guys tried to do this to me like twenty-four years ago.” They laughed, thinking me a lot younger than my nearly 123 years. 

“Kiran, you are seventeen.” Councilman Marcus Kane spoke, tugging me along. 

“So you are trying to float a minor? Marcus, what would your father say?” I hesitated a moment before completing that thought. “Actually never mind, I know what Alexander would say, And Thomas, and George of course. Goddess knows he was the one that wanted to float me to begin with. I mean I did deck him in the face for being a bigot. Do you share your great grandfather’s opinions, boy?” I asked, looking at the man before me. “You ok with the repercussions on that?” 

“It will be dealt with.” The lead guard spoke, pushing me into the airlock. 

“At least undo my irons. It’s not like I’ll need them, right?” I offered my arms at him. He quickly took them off, closing the airlock door. “This should be fun, just like last time.” I stood firm, in the middle of the room, as another prisoner was tossed in. An older man with graying hair. He looked at me, arched his eyebrow and waited for his inevitable end. 

“Kiran Snyder, you have been found guilty of crimes against The Ark. Bruce Miller, you have been found guilty of murder. That is a capital offence. For this you both will be floated. Is there anything you want to say?” Marcus spoke. 

The old man shook his head, staying silent. 

“I have something. First off, either you are floating a child, which is a crime. Or you are floating me for the, what, seventh time. It hasn’t worked, so why are you continuing to try?”

“You are less than a week until your eighteenth birthday, Kiran, I am sure Counselor Jaha will not fault any of us.” Marcus smiled. “Happy Birthday Kiran, it will be your last.”

With that he opened the airlock. The man beside me went flying out, as I once again stood perfectly firm. I started laughing, crossing my arms as the air left the room and my body seemed to buzz a little bit. It was like getting a high. “I told you, Marcus, just as I told your father before you, and his father before him; You can’t float me. This is number seven. If you want me off this ship, you are gonna have to send me back down there.” I pointed out the airlock and to the planet below. 

The airlock closed, leaving me in silence for a moment before Marcus and his guards opened their side of the door. “Can I go back to my cell now, or are you going to force me to stand here in the airlock, with the door open?” 

Silently, they led me back to my cell, the only non-tech cell. They had found out a few years into my stay here in the cells, that the automatic doors wouldn’t work around me. As the mechanical door shut, I looked out my small window and noticed that several of my fellow prisoners were being visited, which was unlike the normal, a dead zone this place normally was. Shrugging it off, I curled up on my bunk and fell asleep. It seemed like no time at all when my lock clicked and the lights came on. 

“Thelonious, what can I do for you today?” I asked, Chancellor Jaha never came to visit any prisoners before, excluding his son. 

"You're getting your wish, you and ninety-nine other prisoners are going back."

"Wait... what?" I looked at the man as if he had a second head. "Me and ninety-nine other people are going where?"

"Home, to the ground." He waved two guards forward, one was holding a bracelet.

"Well this should be interesting." I held my arm out. "Who are the lucky ninety-nine?"

"You'll find out when you're boarded with them."

"Great, I get to go home. I wonder if my old house is still standing. Based on the damage we saw, I doubt it, but it’s always good to have hope right?" 

"I wonder if you'll be one of the first to die."

"The first to die? I haven’t been killed off yet, have I?"

"Yes, you're quite the freak of nature."

"I prefer Naturally Unparalleled." The guards took my right wrist and went to put the bracelet on me. "I give it an hour, tops." I said as they locked it into place. Within a couple of moments, I noticed the lights on the side start to fade. "Ok, so thirty minutes tops now."

Jaha sneered at me in answer. "Put her on the ship."

They took my arms, binding them together behind my back. "Yes, please, take me home."

As I exited the cell, I spotted my fellow prisoners being led from their cells as well. As I stepped to the side, I spotted a young girl with blonde hair come racing out of her cell only to stop as a familiar voice spoke up. 

“Clarke Stop!” My head snapped to the woman’s voice. 

“Mom?!” Clarke, the blonde, spun to face the Doctor. 

“Dr. Walters.” I called out, looking at her. “It seems you have a spawn… is she being sent down with us?” 

“Prisoner 2, shut your mouth and get going.” she called back, as she pulled Clarke into her arms. I refused to move, wanting to see where this conversation between mother and daughter was going. 

“Being sent down?” Clarke panicked. 

“You and the rest are being sent to the ground. All 100 of you.” 

“What? But it's not safe. No. We get reviewed at eighteen.” Clarke’s voice cracked. 

“The rules have changed, Clarke. This gives you a chance to live. Your instinct will tell you to take care of everybody else first, just like your father. But be careful. I cannot lose you too. I love you so much.” 

I watched a guard step up behind Clarke, tranq gun in hand. I felt a strong pull to the young woman, she seemed familiar in a way that I could not place. Without a word, the guard pulled the trigger and clarke fell forward into her mother’s arms. 

“Earth Clarke, you get to go to Earth.” The Doc cradled Clarke in her arms, as she faded from consciousness. As she closed her eyes, I spoke up. 

“I’ll take care of her.” I don’t know why I said that, but I did. The doc looked at me concerned, before allowing the guards to take her daughter away. Making my way behind the guards carrying Clarke I sat in a seat behind her, as a dark skinned boy sat down next to her unmoving body. He pushed a strand of hair off her face and I glared at him. “She’s out cold and you wanna touch on her? That’s creepy dude.” 

“She’s my best friend.” He answered, as he looked back at me. “Who are you?”

“Me? I’m Prisoner 2.” I said, not bothering to offer my name. “You?”

“Wells Jaha.” 

“Oh You Theo’s kid?” 

“Theo?” Mini-Jaha asked. 

“Thelonious. He don’t like me much.” with that I turned away from the Prince, knowing that he would only aggravate me further. “ARE WE LEAVING YET?” 

One of the guards swung and punched me in the jaw. I heard an almighty crack and felt the bone break. 

“I’ll miss you too Johns…” I muttered, setting the broken bone back in place. It would heal soon. 

Once the guards cleared, the door locked and I could feel the dropship unlatch from the station. With a contented sigh, I relaxed backwards. “Home sweet home.” We had just barely hit the earth’s atmosphere, when Clarke jerked awake. 

“Welcome back.” Mini-Jaha said, looking at Clarke. The look on her face said all I needed to hear. He was not in a good place with her. “Look…”

“Wells why the hell are you here?” She cut him off quickly. I watched as she looked like she was about to tear him apart. 

“When I found out they were sending the prisoners to the ground, I got myself arrested. I came for you.” He said holding up his bracelet. 

The lights on the ship blinked into nothingness and then back on as the dropship shuddered violently. 

“What was that?” Clarke looked slightly panicked. 

“That was the atmosphere.” Mini-Jaha and I said at once. 

“Clarke, you need me to get rid of him for ya? While you were out he was touching your face and stuff. Creepy dude.” I offered, my face was a mask of nothingness. 

Before she could respond, or he could object, a video played. Thelonious had a farewell message to us all. I barely paid attention to the message or the various comments added by the idiot children around me. I only started to pay attention to the idiot who let go of his buckles. Two others followed. Spacewalker managed to make a few comments before the parachutes deployed, sending the three idiots flying. 

As the dropship fell, I managed to hear a clip of conversation between Mini-Jaha and Clarke. 

“Clarke there’s something I have to tell you… I’m sorry I got your father arrested.” 

“Don’t you dare talk about my father.” 

“Please. I can’t die knowing you hate me.” 

“They didn’t arrest my father, Wells, they executed him. I do hate you.” 

Before Mini-Jaha could speak, the rockets finally ignited and the dropship landed. Our belts released and Clarke went rushing for the bottom level of the ship. I followed behind her, silent. My eyes went to the door, a scraggly looking dude in a guard uniform stood, getting ready to open the door. 

“Stop!.” all eyes landed on clarke as she spoke up from the ladder. They parted for her. “The air could be toxic.” 

“If the air’s toxic we are all dead anyway.” The man replied. 

Before Clarke could say a word, a voice spoke up from the crowd. “Bellamy?” 

He slowly turned back to face the crowd as a younger girl pushed forward. The murmurs of ‘Thats the girl under the floor…’ rang through my mind. 

_ An illegal second born, interesting. _ I thought to myself as I watched her approach the man. They hugged. As she pulled away, she noticed the uniform her brother was wearing. 

“What the hell are you wearing? A guard’s uniform.” 

“I borrowed it… to get on the dropship. Someone’s gotta keep an eye on you.” 

“Where’s your wristband?” Clarke asked, as the two separated from yet another hug. 

“Do you mind? I haven’t seen my brother in a year.” 

“No one has a brother.” someone called out. 

“That’s Octavia Blake, the girl they found hidden in the floor.”

Octavia leapt at the voices, prepared to fully beat the hell out of the speakers, but she was stopped by Bellamy. 

“Octavia no. Let’s give them something else to remember you by?” He offered. 

“Like what?”

“Like being the first person on the ground in 100 years.” 

“97, god you idiots are so slow. It’s only been 97 years.” I rolled my eyes. “Open the damn door already, you children need a freaking bath.” 

He opened the door and for a moment, we were all blinded. It took only a few moments before the colors returned. I watched Octavia walk down the ramp and step on the soil. She raised her hands and screamed. 

“WE BACK BITCHES!” With that, the drop ship emptied. I waited, letting the brats run wild a bit. As they fled to do whatever they wanted, I watched Clarke from afar. The Spacewalker followed her, but he didn’t seem to be a threat. 

I took my first, deep breath of real Earth Air, in nearly a hundred years in that moment. It was like lightning raced through every millimeter of my body. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------


	7. We Meet Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mako finds someone that looks familiar among the Skai Children... 
> 
> Kiran finally starts to process exactly how bad her isolation was in the SkyBox

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here We Go Again! 
> 
> \---  
> Everything in Italics is Trigedasleng

**Mako:**

The pull I had felt that had drawn me to the night sky, finally had me drawn to a clearing twenty miles from Ton DC. I resisted the pull the best I could for a week, before I just couldn't take it anymore. Finally giving in I sought out the cause of the desperate pulling inside me. Just a few miles from the ship, I came across a young woman, the source of the pull. She was sitting next to a stream. Curious, I moved closer. My heart nearly stopped when I got a good look at her, she looked exactly like Kiran, a carbon copy; not a daughter, but a clone. Whimpering softly as my heart pounded painfully in my chest, I quickly moved so that I was coming up behind her. Drawing a knife, I slipped up behind her and put it to her neck. 

_ “Speak.”  _ I muttered, knowing that if she was a descendant of Kiran, she would speak the language we had created. 

_ “Who are you and why are you speaking to me in this language?” _ She snapped, not bothering to bend away from the knife; as if she isn’t afraid of the blade at all. 

The pain and draw inside me grew as she spoke. _ “This is the language spoken by the Grounders for the last 90 years, Sky Child.” _

_ “THIS is a language that I have spoken for the past hundred years.” _ She pulled away and turned to face me. I caught sight of her chocolate brown eyes.  _ “Call me Sky Child again, Grounder, and I will end you.” _

_ “You dare to claim to be over a hundred years old!” _

_ “You assume I am young, based on my looks, Grounder.” _ Growling at me, she continued, her eyes hardening to a raging deep brown.  _ “Is it really necessary to have me at knife-point?” _

Hope stirred inside me as I slowly stood straight, the hand holding the knife falling to my side.  _ “You lie. You must lie.” _

_ “I lie? Who are you? You know this language and you are acting like you know me. Speak grounder.” _ She countered, a growl to her voice. I had heard it more times than I could remember. Kiran did it when she was upset. 

_ “But it can't be…”  _ Not being able to take it anymore, I dropped the knife and raised my hands submissively. "Kiran?"

"And now you know my name?" It looked like it took a second to click in her head.  _ “Mako?” _ Dropping to my knees in shock, I slowly reached up and removed my mask, letting it fall to the ground next to me.  _ “It's not.... it's not possible…” _ She whispered, kneeling in front of me and pulling my face level with hers. Our eyes locked, emerald green clashing with chocolate brown. "How?"

_ “How for you too?” _ I echoed, not sure if either of us actually had an answer to how we were nearing one hundred and twenty three years old. 

_ “Space. I just stopped aging, there was nothing... just nothing.” _ She answered, shrugging, her hand tangling in my hair as if making sure I was actually in front of her. 

_ “I just stopped aging.”  _ I could tell there was more to it than that. 

_ “I got sent to SPACE. It was lovely.”  _ Her words were hard, her eyes going from calm to deathly sharp. 

_ “You hate space.” _ I said softly, lightly biting my bottom lip.

“ _ It’s not as bad as it seems... just wish I could have actually done a spacewalk.” _ It seemed that there was more to that, but I wouldn’t push it just yet. 

_ “Liar.” _

_ “Does it matter?” _ she shifted, pulling away and shifting on her feet. Something was really wrong if she was willingly pulling away from me. 

_ “I haven't seen you in 97 years. Yes, it matters. Every little thing I missed and was taken from us, matters.” _

_ “I spent my time, nearly 95 years of it, as a Prisoner... They tried to FLOAT ME 7 times.”  _ I could hear the rage in her voice.  _ “Float me... do you know what that MEANS?” _

_ “Enlighten me.” _ I encouraged her softly, pulling her back into me. I reached up to lightly scratch my nails through her hair against her scalp. It was something that calmed the two of us down. 

_ “They tried to shove me out of an airlock... INTO SPACE.”  _ Her voice was soft, as if she was ashamed of the truth. 

_ “Yeah, if we're exactly alike, then dying isn't something we do so well.” _

"I am glad you find the attempted murder of me funny. I have to get back, before they notice I am missing… Goddess knows what will happen when the toddlers figure out that I’m not there."

"I don't want you to go." I gripped her hands in mine.

"I don’t either. But, I have to go, you know that. At least for now. I'll meet you here, every day that I can get away." She leaned close to me, kissing my forehead.  _ “I love you, Mako. Now and forever.” _

_ “I love you, Kiran. Always and eternal.” _ I gently kissed her jaw, just as I used to before. Her eyes slid closed for a moment as a shiver ran up her spine. 

_ “Do you want to walk me back towards camp, it's 3 or 4 miles out.” _

_ “I would like that very much.” _

She pulled me to my feet, pulling me into her arms.  _ “97 years Mako... I'll tell you all about mine, if you tell me all about yours.” _

_ “Deal.” _

_ “You First.”  _ She wrapped an arm around my waist; the same position we used to walk in, 97 years ago. 

I gave her a brief summary of my 97 years. She asked questions every once in a while; but left it relatively to my speaking. I knew there were a few things she would be looking for. Had I found another love, had a family, all the things we had talked about nearly a hundred years ago. 

“No lovers, no biological children.” I put her heart at easy, I could feel her pulse calm as I spoke. “There are a few that I have chosen as children, but my heart left earth 97 years, 5 months and a week ago.” She blushed deeply, knowing that I was speaking about her. 

“What about you, my love, what was your exile like?” 

She froze midstep, her pulse began to race and she refused to look at me for a few moments. 

“Love, whatever happened up there, was up there. What’s wrong?” My mind went to thoughts that she may have had a family, descendants, another love.

“I was a good soldier, following orders for two years. I met a few good people. Loudoun Griffin and his wife, their son, Warren. Warren was the first baby born on the station. They named me his Godmother. I attended the boy’s first birthday, just before I was locked up. I don’t know what happened to him, or his family.” She let go of me and began to pace, I could tell she was trying to calm herself down. “There was an asshole, George Kane. He spit out some hateful words about women in the military, I ignored him. But then he started to attack LGBT people. I couldn’t let it go. I lost it. I broke his nose, several ribs and it got ugly. I was locked up for a year. When I came up for review, I refused to apologize. So they tried to kill me, by throwing me into space. When it failed, I was thrown into solitary. They tried to kill me seven times over those 95 years in lock up. I was used as a test subject, a lab rat.” 

The words were ground out, her fist balled up. The muscles in her back and shoulders were tense. Without warning she launched herself at a nearby rockslide. I let her vent, the pain of being locked in solitary for so long, thinking the one person she loved was dead. I couldn’t quite understand. As her swings calmed, I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her against me. 

“ _ They can’t hurt you, not anymore. They will pay, my love. I promise you. Heda will not allow such treatment, I will make sure she understands.”  _

Kiran’s body shook, as she began to silently sob. We stood like that for a moment, before I spun her around my arms, pressing her face to the crook of my neck. Wrapping my arms tightly around her, allowing her to calm herself with my scent; just as we did back when we first met. It seemed to be about an hour before she stopped shaking and her breathing calmed. 

“ _ My love.” _

“ _ I’m ok, darling. I just… I didn’t realize how much the solitary really affected me.”  _ She flexed her hands, knowing that at least half of her knuckles were broken, plus several bones. “I have to set them before they heal wrong.” She held them out to me, nodding to them. Once they were set, she shook the pain away and cleared her throat. 

“We should continue, we aren’t far from your dropship.” I commented, pressing a kiss to her jaw. 

“Mako.” She spoke softly. I looked at her, and she pressed her lips to mine, for the first time in 97 years. It’s a soft, brief kiss. Pulling away, she pressed her forehead to mine. “Don’t leave me again. Please, I can’t bear it.” 

“Never again, not for that long love. I promise it.” I vowed. 

We continued on the short walk. At that point, it was as if we were back in time, before everything happened. The only thing that changed was that we no longer wore a uniform. We were free to just be ourselves without anyone else to answer to or to call us from each other. No one could keep us apart ever again.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

  
  



	8. Lessons In Immortality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiran learns exactly what the radiation did to her and Mako during the first bombing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH? What's This? A DOUBLE UPDATE?!?!
> 
> <3 
> 
> \---  
> Everything in Italics is Trigedasleng.

**Kiran:**

Three days, that’s how long it takes before I give up listening to the toddlers bicker over who’s in charge. I walked off into the forest and found the same stream I had met Mako. I was alone for mere moments before I felt a presence behind me. I didn’t bother to move, as the person made themselves known. We both tumbled into the river. I came up sputtering. I was tired, more than I had ever been in years

“What’s wrong love?” Mako asked, looking at me in concern. 

“I’m exhausted. I haven’t felt this tired in decades, not since they tried to float me the first time.” I shook my head, standing in the river. I stumbled slightly; Mako grabbed my arm. 

“Come with me. I have an idea of what’s going on.” 

She took me deep into the forest into a forgotten clearing. Just to the side of the clearing, there was a large opening to a cave. 

“There’s something you need to understand about us. We aren’t normal anymore. We are mutated. The blast that started all of this, caused a mutation of our DNA. I mean seriously mutated.” Mako sat me down on a flat rock in the clearing. “That mutation causes us to need radiation to survive. It is our air, if you will. Without it, we grow weaker, sicker, and I would assume that we would actually die.” 

“But I was in space, there isn’t nuclear radiation in space.” I countered. 

“Solar radiation is stronger than nuclear radiation, even if it’s a different type of radiation. You see every time they floated you, they gave you a boost; that’s if they shielded their prison section.”

“So wait, what you are saying is… we FEED on radiation.” I shifted on the rock, taking her words in. 

“Essentially, yes.” 

“Ok, so how do I recharge then?” 

“Come with me, and only take ONE DROP. Do you understand?” 

“One drop. Got it.” I followed her into the cave and spotted what she wanted to show me. An unexploded nuclear warhead. The cap had been pried up, showing the insides of the nuclear chamber. I looked at Mako and followed her actions. I pressed a single finger into the molten inside of the bomb. And watched as the fluid clung to my finger. I pulled my hand away and again followed Mako’s instructions, bringing my finger to my mouth. I allowed two drops to fall on my tongue. I felt it right away. An electric charge rippled through my body, 

Mako grabbed my arms, pulling my attention back to her.  _ “I said only one drop…” _

Ignoring her words, I pulled her tightly to me. I pressed my lips to hers, tangling my fingers in her hair. She moaned this time, tangling her fingers in my shirt, pulling me closer. I sat down, pulling her into my lap. Bringing my hips against her I traced her bottom lip with my tongue, needing her. Her tongue flicked out to join mine. Taking the chance, I slipped in, mapping every inch. My hands tugged at her cloak, needing to feel her skin under my fingertips. Her hands caught mine, stopping them as she deepened the kiss. I moaned softly, needing the touch she was denying me. Pulling back, I took a deep breath, looking her in the eye. The glow was back, just as bright as before.

_ “Your eyes are a greyish silver now.” _

_ “Well this is gonna freak everyone out.”  _ I answered her statement. 

_ “They won't noticeably glow during the day, just be careful at night.” _

_ “So go wander around the woods at night…”  _ I sighed. At least it would get me away from the whining. 

_ “With me... And let us catch up the rest of the last 90 some odd years.” _

_ “Works for me” _

_ “Good.”  _ She lightly nipped my jaw before nuzzling her nose against it.

_ “You control the Grounders right?” _

_ “That is a very bad way of putting it.” _

_ “If you asked them to do something... They would.” _

_ “Yes... Why?” _

_ “The only way that I won’t have to go back... Is if the grounders take me...” _

_ “No.” _

_ “The 100 will not just let me walk away. I know who is in charge of what, who is dangerous, hell me getting out tonight was nearly impossible.” _

_ “But having you taken will also spark the very war I am desperately trying to avoid.” _

_ “There is no way they will let me up and disappear.” _

_ “You must let me continue my endeavor for peace, but it will take time. The Sky People will be expected to learn the customs of this land and abide by them.” _

I sighed, looking at her.  _ “I would have to kill someone before they let me go... And that's if they don't hang me first. The chances of those people... The sky people... Learning anything... Abiding by anything is nearly impossible.” _

_ “They will adapt to this land, Kiran, or they will all die.” _

_ “Most of these kids have been locked up, hell one of them tried to kill the Chancellor... The likelihood of them doing anything, is slim.” _

_ “They will learn, they must for survival.” _ Mako stressed her words.

_ “It’s unlikely and you know it as well as I do. And just wait for the Ark... God knows the people on the Ark will try and take this planet back over.” _

_ “Kiran, there are more tribes than the one group the Sky People have encountered. The Earth population has regrown to nearly a million and all of them share nearly the same beliefs as those of the Grounders here.” _

_ “Do they have guns? A standing army?” _

_ “Earth is covered in wild greenery now, there are no rides or solid buildings. Even faced with a gun, they must first hit their target for it to do damage.” _

_ “Guns and bombs, Mako, like before the explosion. It's not like it would be hard to attack. For them it’s a matter of locating them.” _

_ “You will understand, Kiran. Many will die before there is peace, but both sides will concede, even if we must make them.” _

_ “Concede? These are the most hard-headed humans I have ever had the unfortunate pleasure of being trapped with.”  _ I knew I was being a bit over dramatic with it, but it made my point. "I will do what I can, Love, but there isn’t much that I can do."

"You will see that you have more power than you think."

"I am willing to try." I said, laying my head on her shoulder. "How are we going to do this? Unite the Grounders and the Sky People?"

"First, we must start with those who are actually willing."

Wrapping my arms around her, she looked up at me. "Speaking of willing... something I should know?" Again I tugged at her shirt. 

She pushed on my wrist once more, stopping me.  _ “We must be mated before we can return to our ways.” _

_ “Mated?”  _ I looked at her.  _ “Like married?” _

_ “This world’s version of it, also there is no divorce here, there is no need for it.” _

_ “You are gonna have to explain this to me and how I go about asking.” _

_ “You must proposition me to the chase that takes place once a year, if you can catch me before the sun rises, you must bite me. You must make me bleed from the bite and take it within yourself, then I must do the same to you in acceptance and then we may be together until the late afternoon of the next day.” _

_ “Wait... wait... I have to proposition you, chase you, catch you, and then bite you.” _

_ “Before we return, something physical and visible, changes about us to mark our union.” _

_ “How so? What changes?” _

_ “It is different for everyone, but the stronger, bigger, the change, the greater the bond between the pair.” _

_ “So what has been the biggest bond you've seen?” _

_ “A woman propositioned a man and caught him, when they returned a birth mark the man had upon his face had transferred to her. When she was killed many years later, he literally died at the same moment she did, five miles away.” _

_ “When one dies, the other dies too.”  _ I nodded.  _ “So when does this take place?” _

_ “The Fall Equinox.” _

_ “That's a long bit away.”  _ I cracked my knuckles. 

_ “We have waited 97 years, I'm sure we can make it another few weeks.” _

_ “Another couple of weeks, when I know you are around me.”  _ I sat up, looking around.  _ “It’s nearly dawn, I should get back.” _

_ “Yes, that is wise.” _

I stood, pulling her to her feet.  _ “Should I grab another drop before I go?” _

_ “No!” _

_ “Oh? Why not?” _ I smirked at her.

_ “You won't need more unless you spend it.” _

_ “Alright, walk me back?” _

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CURRENT COUNT OF SKAIKRU ALIVE - 100 
> 
> 2 dead from the re-entry, but Add Bellamy and Raven in, making a round 100 total. 
> 
> This number will fall in the next few chapters.


	9. Meeting The Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiran meets Mako's adoptive Son... Mako meets Clarke... The Mountain Men Release Acid Fog... Utter Choas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything in Italics is Trigedasleng.

**Mako:**

We were about a mile from the ship when I heard movement coming up on us. Glancing to my left, past Kiran, I noticed a grounder approaching. I knew it was Lincoln, my son in all but blood. He did not speak, looking at Kiran before looking back at me. the moment he passed us and turned to slowly follow in the shadows. I left him be as we walked in comfortable silence for a few moments, before speaking up. 

_ “What can I do for you, Lincoln?”  _

_ “Who's Lincoln?” _ Kiran asked, looking around, not spotting the man behind us. 

_ “Goddess, you normally aren't in this area. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.” _ He spoke, I turned to see him. His eyes never left Kiran. 

_ “I'm more than alright, Lincoln. Come here. I'd like for you to officially meet Kiran.” _ I waved him forward, out of the shadows.

_ “What is with the Grounders and popping up out of nowhere?” _ Kiran stepped back as He stepped into the light. 

_ “Says the person who fell out of the sky, how do you know this language?”  _ Lincoln frowned, standing straight up, as if puffing himself out to make himself seem like more of a threat. 

_ “I helped create it, boy.”  _ Kiran answered, looking at Lincoln as if he was a young boy. 

_ “Enough. Both of you.”  _ I stepped forward between them, sending a look at Kiran.  _ “You both are compassionate people, do not fall to the beliefs and whims of those around you and judge before knowing.” _

_ “Yes Mako.” _ Kiran held her hand out for him as a show of peace.  _ “For now, Grounder... Lincoln.” _

_ “Kiran.”  _ He looked at her hand, before looking at me. I nodded, knowing that in the end he'd trust my opinion. He grabbed her forearm, a true warrior’s grip, before backing away from her and kneeling to me.  _ “If you have no other need of me, I will leave you.” _

_ “I will be by to speak with you later.”  _ I informed him, stepping forward to lightly touch his head. He leaned into my touch. I had grown attached to him when he was younger and had come to see him as one of my own. Kiran looked at me, as if studying my face for any matching features to his. A mark of bond is what she was looking for. When she didn't find it, she leaned back against a tree, clearly upset about something. She stayed silent as Lincoln walked into the darkness.  _ “What is it?” _

_ “What is he to you?”  _ Her voice was soft, without emotion. 

_ “I have grown fond of him; he is one of few over the years that I have come to see as one of my own.” _ I replied honestly, feeling no need to hide my connection to the young man. She merely nodded, starting towards the camp.  _ “Kiran!” _ I called out to her, not quite sure what was wrong.

_ “Yes, Mako?” _ She answered, turning back to me. 

_ “I don't understand, why are you upset?” _

_ “Who said I was?” _

_ “Something is bothering you.” _

_ “Something is going to bother me, Mako.”  _ She stopped speaking for a few moments before continuing.  _ “I spent 97 years of my life, believing the one person I loved, was dead. I spent 95 years locked in a cell, 94 of them in solitary, after losing the only other family I ever felt close to.”  _ She looked at the sky, the stars sparkling above us.  _ “You spent yours down here, building a new Earth, teaching them a language, hell they think you are a GOD.” _

_ “That wasn't my choice! I fought to keep you with me! Then I fought to build a world you'd be proud to be a part of!”  _ I took a step back, shaking my head, my heart clenching painfully.

_ “I'm not blaming you, Mako. I am proud of everything you have done.”  _ Her voice cracked slightly and she turned away from me.  _ “I... I just wanted to have been at your side... not in space, in a floating prison. I've been alone for so long… forgotten by the people that stole me from my home...” _

Slowly moving toward her, I kneeled in front of her, reaching out to lightly rest my hand on her leg.  _ “But you're not alone anymore and we have the rest of our lives to be together.” _

_ “Once we are Mated... you mean.”  _ Her voice was soft, barely heard. 

_ “I will always be here for you, you know that.”  _ I pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

_ “Mako, I don't want to go back…” _

_ “To the ship?” _

_ “To The Ark, to the dropship, to them... none of it. I want to stay here, with you... none of this back and forth shit anymore.” _

_ “My love, they need you. They will need you to help them align to the grounders. What about those that you care about? Are there none that you care about?”  _

_ “Clarke… just her. I’m drawn to her. Her eyes are so familiar.”  _

_ “Will you take me to meet her?”  _ I asked. I knew that if she felt a connection to her, this Clarke had to be important. 

_ “Once I actually get to know her, sure. I only met her the day we dropped.”  _ She laughed at a thought.  _ “Her mother did tests on me. The bastard doctor.”  _

_ “The one to do testing on you?”  _

She nodded.  _ “I don’t even know Clarke’s last name. But there’s this… creepy that just stares at her constantly.”  _ She buried her head in my shoulder. 

Tangling my fingers into her hair, I laughed.  _ “I am sure you will protect her, you always protected me.”  _

She laughed softly, wrapping her arms around my waist.  _ “I protect you because you hold my heart and I can’t live without you. I protect her… because she reminds me of someone.”  _

We had gotten closer to the dropship. I heard several voices coming our way. 

_ “Either we meet the group headed our way… or we hide in the shadow…” _

I pulled Kiran into the shadows and allowed the group to come closer to us. 

“Princess... where are you going?” a boy’s voice called out, as a blonde came into view. 

“Finn, leave me alone.” the blonde spoke up, turning to face the boy. 

_ “That’s Clarke.. And the creep.” _ Kiran whispered, watching the boy. 

“You can’t just walk around alone, Jasper was speared not but a day ago. The grounders could attack you.” 

The two continued to argue about Clarke leaving camp alone, but I looked at Kiran. 

_ “Speared?”  _

_ “A group of people attempted to get to Mount Weather. He crossed a river and was speared from quite a distance in the chest. They found him earlier this morning, strung up like bait.”  _

_ “He crossed the boundary between Trikru and the Mountain. Keep them away from the Mountain Kiran. They are dangerous and cannot be trusted. They have been kidnapping and turning men into monsters, stealing women and children and draining them.”  _

_ “I will keep them away from the boundary.”  _ We both turned back to the two arguing in front of us. 

“I have to get the seaweed to save Jasper. Go back to camp, Finn.” 

“Clarke you can’t go alone.” 

“She isn’t alone, Finn, go back to camp.” Kiran pulled away from me and stepped into view of the two. “Clarke, I can take you to the river and get the seaweed. I know what you are looking for.” 

Clarke looked at Kiran for a moment before nodding. Finn sighed. 

“You need someone to protect you.” 

“Are you questioning me, boy?” Kiran pulled herself to her full height and her voice turned sharp. “I could put you on your ass without breaking a sweat. Do what your leader said, and go back to camp, before I put you back in camp.” 

Finn stumbled backwards a bit, but he turned back to camp. 

Kiran looked directly back at me and nodded to him. I understood her question without her saying a word. Letting out a bird call, bringing a scout to my location. 

_ “Make sure that boy makes it back to camp and does not leave again.”  _ The scout nodded, without speaking and followed the boy. 

I refocused on Kiran as she motioned for Clarke to start towards the river. I followed silently, watching the two interact. 

“You know who I am, but I don’t know who you are.” Clarke spoke up. 

“I figured your mother wouldn’t talk about me. I am the council's dirty little secret.” Kiran answered, sighing. “My name is Kiran Snyder.” 

“Kiran?” Something in her voice had me focus a bit more. “That’s my middle name.” 

“What?” 

“Yeah, My name is Clarke Kiran Griffin.” 

Kiran froze, looking at Clarke in shock. “Griffin… Tell me something. Just a simple yes or no. Your … what would he be… great grandfather, I think. Was his name Warren Griffin? One of the first born on the Ark.” 

Clarke stopped walking and looked at Kiran. “How did you know that?” 

“Warren… Loudoun survived, his son survived.” Kiran ran her hand through her hair. “Mako…. My godson survived!” 

I stepped into the light of the two women. “So I hear. That explains the draw as well. She’s named after you as well.” 

“Who the hell are you?” Clarke backed away from the two of us. “And what the hell do you mean Godson? You are like… 17.” 

“Calm Clarke. I mean you no harm. Kiran and I have known each other since we were children.” 

“And I’m 122, I’ll be 123 this coming week.” Kiran countered. “I was there when your great grandfather was born, Clarke. Loudoun Griffin, his father, kept me from going crazy those first two years. He named me Warren’s godmother, before I was locked up.” 

“You are a grounder… and Kiran I have no idea what to do with you right now.” Clarke looked between the two. 

“Mako and I were there when the bombs went off, I was taken up to the Ark. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later, I promise you.” 

“You owe me a hell of a story.” 

Kiran agreed. “We have a mission do we not, goddaughter? Seaweed for Jasper, Mako can help us.” 

I slipped up next to the two, gently reaching to grab Kiran’s hand. “I know just where you need to go. We can continue this discussion on the way.” 

Clarke nodded her eyes going to our intertwined hands. “Fine, but this isn't over.”

The three of us made our way to the river. We were there a mere few minutes before I heard a horn. 

“We need to run. NOW.” I spoke up, grabbing Kiran’s arm and looking at Clarke. “Acid Fog.” 

The two quickly followed me to a nearby cave, I sealed the door of the cave and looked at the two. I lit a small fire, so that we had light. 

“If you feel that you got any of that fog on you, you need to take the clothes off.” 

“What’s going on, Mako?” 

“The Mountain that you Skai people want to get to…” I looked at Clarke. “Is filled with a bunch of psychotic, sadistic humans. They release this fog to kill people. Anyone caught without shelter.” 

_ “Do you want to tell her what you told me? What they do to the grounders?”  _ Kiran asked, shifting to our language. 

“They kidnap men and turn them into monsters, they take women and children and bleed them.” I added, not bothering to respond to Kiran. “Kiran and I don’t have an issue in the fog, but you do. Your people do.” 

“So what do we do?” 

“We wait for the fog to clear, count our people and see if anyone is missing.” I answered, shifting to look at Kiran. 

_ “I will need to see Heda and Ton dc. To account for anyone missing there. Heda will need to know that the grounders have a friend in the Skaikru group.”  _

_ “I understand, I will check with the dropship and make sure we are all still there…”  _ She opened her arms and let me slip into them. “ _ I love you, Mako.”  _

“Just as I love you, Kiran.” I answered back in English, pressing my face to her neck. My lips pressed to her pulse. I felt it pick up as I did. 

“You two are actually kinda cute together.” Clarke spoke up from nearby. 

The three of us broke into the first real laughter in decades. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CURRENT COUNT OF SKAIKRU ALIVE - 97
> 
> 2 - Reentry  
> 3 - Acid Fog  
> But Add 2 - Bellamy and Raven in
> 
> This number will fall in the next few chapters.


	10. Unnecessary Hostilities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sky Children escalate things to a level they should not... Kiran spills a secret to one of them... Utter chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the chaos - Cannon Episode is Episode 7 - Contents Under Pressure. 
> 
> Once Again - Trig is in italics  
> Warning - Adult Language/Cursing - in case you need that.

**Kiran:**

The dropship was a damn mess. These teenagers just didn’t seem to understand that we live here and most of us don't wanna live in filth. There was no chance of anyone else picking up the mess, so I threw my hands up and did it. 

“Stupid fucking toddlers.” I cursed loudly, earning a few hard looks. “What… you people live like pigs.” 

The looks turned to glares, as the teens in question fled the dropship. Twenty minutes later, as I finished picking up the last of the junk off the floor of the dropship, I heard scuffling outside. Looking up I spotted Jasper and Bellamy dragging an unconscious form into the lower level of the drop ship. Finn being half carried, a dagger stuck in his stomach,by Octavia and Clarke. 

"What the hell is going on?" I demanded, looking at the teens. 

"This fucking Grounder had Octavia as a prisoner and attacked Finn." Jasper spoke up.

“He did, did he?” I looked at the boy, he was barely healed from the spear to his chest. “This grounder stole Octavia from camp, and managed to stab Finny-boy at the same time? Someone wanna try that again?” 

“He had Octavia in his cave, and Finn went to help us find her.” Bellamy glared at me. “We found her and brought her back. We went back to get him, and he stabbed Finn, so we knocked him out and brought him with us. He’s gonna answer some questions.” 

I stepped closer to them, looking the man over. His build was impressive, a large muscular frame, shaved head and tattoos. I tilted the man’s head back and realized who he was. My heart stopped for a fraction of a second.  _ “Lincoln. Fuck. Mako’s gonna kill us all.”  _ It was muttered soft enough that no one reacted. "You realize that if you kill him, it will be an act of war, right? You can’t come back from killing him. It changes who you are, you can’t take that back. Trust me on that. I know what it does. I’ve seen it."

"Trying to kill Jasper and kidnap Octavia wasn't?"

"Did you perhaps think that the river might be a barrier and Jasper being speared was a WARNING? The way that spear was thrown, there is no way they missed killing him. Also WE dropped into THEIR world... We are the intruders here. This is their land, not ours." I countered. "We have to learn their ways, adjust. Adapt or die. Imagine if some foreign station docked with the Ark... They started going where they shouldn't, kidnapping and killing people. You would want them to follow your rules, your laws, Right?"

“They haven’t even bothered to try and talk to us. To let us learn their laws, they just assume that we should already know and are willingly breaking them." Clarke spoke up from leaning over Finn.

“Have you asked? Have any of you even THOUGHT to ask!” I exploded to the gathered group. “THIS IS THEIR HOME. I will repeat that for the ones in the back. THIS IS THEIR HOME. Is that not clear enough. You kidnapped a citizen of another country, brought him to our STOLEN land, and now are what, going torture the man?” 

“No one is going to listen to you.” Jasper snapped. “Let’s get him secured before he wakes up and kills us all." 

I watched as they hoisted Lincoln up to the top level of the drop ship. They strapped him up by his wrists and ankles. He began to stir as the buckles were tightened. I watched a blood drop trail down his face and drip to the floor. My beloved’s chosen son was injured, presumed to be further tortured. His eyes met mine and he gave a slight nod, as if signaling that he could take the abuse. 

Raven scrambled up the ladder and started screaming. The dagger was poisoned. I looked at him, eyes wide. He shifted his eyes from Raven to me. He refused to speak. I watched in utter horror as Raven grabbed a live wire and pressed it to his skin. I flinched back as he screamed, before deciding enough was enough. 

“Enough.” I stepped between them, gathering all my courage. Raven glared at me, before trying to reach around me. She didn’t reach far enough, as the wire connected with the skin on my arm. It was like nothing I had felt before; fire and lightning combined into one unbearable feeling. The world went gray, I could hear someone screaming, the smell of burning flesh and hair. When the pain faded, I looked around at the shocked faces. I had fallen to my knees, but I stood once more. 

“I said, enough is enough. This is too far.” I said through clenched teeth, I could still feel the residual electricity flowing through my body. “Everyone Out…NOW.” The sheer look of terror on their faces told me everything. They filed down the ladder. “Octavia you stay.” She stayed, leaving Bellamy slightly pissed off, as he descended the ladder last. Once the ladder was clear, I locked the hatch and looked at Octavia. “What happens now, is between you and me.” She nodded, moving to wipe the blood away from his face. 

“Lincoln, I’m sorry. I should have stepped in sooner. That should have never happened to you.” I started, before stepping closer.  _ “Lincoln, I will get you out of here. What they are doing to you is inhumane, and it will be stopped. Tell the goddess what happened today and tell her that her plans are on shaky ground.” _

I could feel Octavia’s eyes on me, as she gasped out loud. 

He nodded, closing his eyes.  _ “You will not be safe here anymore.” _

“I am well aware of that. I am aware that I will be a target for them now. I won’t however, leave you here to rot. Mako would have my head.” I slipped into English. “You can speak Lincoln, in English, I know you can.” 

“You speak their language?” Octavia looked at me. 

“Technically they speak mine.” I countered. “Long before you, your brother, your mother, or her parents were born. Before the Ark, the stations, the war, there was me, and a friend of mine. We got tired of being understood, so we created an entire language. What you now think of as the Grounder’s Language, was once, and technically still is, our language.”

"You realize you're claiming to be over a hundred years old. Right?" Octavia stated in disbelief.

"123 in less than a week, thanks."

"That's not humanly possible."

"I never said I was human, anymore anyways. Then again, neither is being able to survive being floated... seven times, and being Clarke’s mom’s favorite torture… I mean test subject." She looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "You never wondered why I am the only Snyder on the Ark. No mother, no father, no blood relations... I am... was... alone, on the Ark, Octavia." I looked at Lincoln. "We have to get him out of here, and soon. If he dies here, our hope for peace dies with him."

"If you help me, then both of you will be in danger." Lincoln spoke up, looking at the two of us. 

"Not like I actually belong here..." I muttered, shaking my head. 

Octavia looked at me strangely. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means... I should be with the Grounders... not here with these people."

"We're all Grounders! We all live here now!" She said harshly as she continued to clean him.

"No, if you want to be a Grounder, you have to learn it, just like I do." I shook my head. "I was born here, I'll relearn how to be a Grounder if I have to."

"Goddess wants peace, she will teach again if she must."

"Goddess? What are you talking about?"

I smiled brightly at the mention of Mako. "They have a goddess, someone they learned everything, including the language from."

"Someone like you?"

"Someone very much like me."

"She would not like either of you putting yourselves in danger."

_ “She knows I can take care of myself... against anyone.” _

_ “She will still disagree with the choice, especially if you put someone else in danger.” _

_ “As long as you stay around her, Lincoln, she will be protected.” _

"Do you guys mind?"

"Just poking fun at him... don't mind us." I smiled at her. "Anyways, getting him out of here... How?"

"We can't do it right now, everyone's watching. We'll have to wait."

"Give me a day or so to plan, and then we will get you out, in the meantime, I have a meeting to keep. O, when I leave, lock the hatch and please let him down." I spoke softly at him.  _ “I will tell her that you are here, see if she can find a way out for you, without killing anyone.” _

_ “Careful when you tell her... She may overreact…” _

_ “I won’t tell her that I got fried in the process.” _

_ “Don't tell her of the torture at all... She may give up her idea of peace…” _

_ “I'll be sure to skip that... and when she sees you, she'll kill me for not saying anything.” _

_ “That or she kills your Sky People.” _

_ “Which neither of us want... I will figure this out.” _

"Hello?"

"Sorry, discussing different ways of getting him out of here." I shrugged. “Lincoln, which one is the antidote? Got to act like I got something out of you,... or they will try and force themselves in here and start doing more shit to you.” 

“The brown liquid in the smaller vial.” He answered, looking at me. 

_ “Be patient, protect her, teach her the language.”  _ I crossed to the hatch and unlocked it. I could hear the voices on the level below call to someone that the hatch was opening. Before they could rush forward, I dropped onto the ladder and pulled it closed behind me. I waited until it locked behind me before I descended. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CURRENT COUNT OF SKAIKRU ALIVE - 97
> 
> 2 - Reentry  
> 3 - Acid Fog  
> But Add 2 - Bellamy and Raven in
> 
> This number will fall in the next few chapters.


	11. Fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out how Mako reacts to hearing about Lincoln's current prediciment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday to me... means Extra chapters for you. <3

**Mako:**

I glanced up as I heard movement in the brush, the moment I saw her eyes through the dark I knew I would have to work with her on her stealth. I waited patiently as she got closer, waiting until she had just passed beneath me before dropping from my perch. 

_ “You're louder than an elephant walking through a china shop.” _

_ “It’s been 97 years since I was last in a stealth training class, thank you…”  _ She said, jumping to the side, landing hard in a bush to her left. She looked up at me, taking a deep breath.  _ “You really like scaring the fuck out of me, don't you. That hasn’t changed since we met.” _

_ “It's more a habit of survival than anything else. What brings you out here today? I thought we agreed to meet up tomorrow night.” _

_ “We did, but something came up. I don't come with good news. Help me out of this damn bush, we need to talk.”  _ Grabbing her hand, I pulled her to her feet. 

_ “What do you mean?”  _ I stilled instantly, glancing at her, worried. She wouldn’t talk like this unless something was seriously wrong. 

_ “The idiots did something stupid.”  _ She took a breath and swallowed hard.  _ “They captured Lincoln. They are holding him in the drop ship.” _

I reacted without thinking, quickly moving forward and fisting my hands in the front of her shirt.  _ “What did you just say?” _

_ “Mako. Stop.” _ She pulled back away from me, tugging on her shirt.  _ “He's ok so far.”  _ I noticed she held her left arm behind her back, hiding something. 

_ “What do you mean, so far?” _

_ “They are teenagers, Mako, they are gonna do something stupid.”  _ She answered, her left arm still held behind her, not bothering to bring it forward to protect herself. 

_ “Going to? Or already have?” _ Taking a step forward, I raised my hand, palm up.  _ “Show me your left arm.” _

She sighed, pulling it in front of her body. She turned it around in my palm.  _ “I'm fine. It will heal.” _

_ “It'll heal?” _ I repeated harshly as I took in the electrical burns going up her left arm. _ “You realize that if we didn't naturally screw with electrical equipment and you were a normal person, you'd be a pile of burned meat right now?” _

_ “Yes. I do. I also know that Lincoln is alive because of me, and we need to get him out of there.” _

_ “You just told me they hadn't done anything to him yet!”  _ I gripped her left wrist hard, pulling her a little closer. She yelped loudly and I could see the tears beginning to form in her eyes.  _ “Stop lying to me, Snyder.” _

_ “He told me not to tell you... He thinks you will use this to start a war.” _ She twisted her wrist in my hand, slightly upset at being called by her last name.  _ “That hurts, you know that right, and YOU are hurting me. Mako you are the one hurting me right now. Let go.” _

I instantly released her, stepping away and turning my back toward her.  _ “He is my son, Kiran... In all but blood, he is my son.” _

_ “Then help me get him out of there.” _ I could hear the hurt in her voice, at the idea that she was not the only family I had anymore or the fact that I had physically hurt her in my anger; I was unsure. 

Sighing, I reached into the pouch at my hip and withdrew herbs and a wrap. Turning back to her, I reached out and gently took her arm. I felt the guilt set in like an anvil in my stomach. Switching subjects quickly, knowing that Kiran will need time to process what just happened.

_ “He likes you. Lincoln that is.” _

_ “Oh? Does he? I can't tell.”  _ She gave me her left arm, trusting that I wouldn't hurt her again; that I didn’t mean it the first time. 

_ “He's not big on showing his emotions.” _

_ “He's not big on talking either. Was like trying to get a tooth from a gator, honestly.” _

_ “Not after his father had him murder a man when he was a boy.” _

She merely nodded, as if unsure of what to say. What could one say to that, honestly.  _ “I think my time with the Sky People is soon ending... Once Lincoln is free, that's it. I’m in danger now, thanks to me jumping between them and Lincoln.” _ She took a breath as I finished wrapping her arm up. _ ”Just a few more weeks until we can fully be together.” _

_ “I wish you could have gotten along with the Sky Children... They could have used your guidance.”  _ I answered honestly, pressing my lips to her wrapped knuckles.  _ “They need someone to show them the way, to show them how to live in this new world.”  _

_ “They are hard headed children... once they grow up a little bit, be here for longer than a couple of weeks, then maybe, maybe they will listen.” _ She smiled softly, her other hand gently running over my braided hair. 

_ “But they will not listen to someone who abandons them.” _

_ “I am not abandoning them, I will just disappear for a bit.” _

_ “Kiran... Please....” _ I begged softly, reaching up to lovingly touch her jaw.  _ “Try to see this from another point of view. You saved them from killing Lincoln, you stopped them from making a large mistake. Do you think I had an easy time getting people to see my point of view? I had to convince them that just because we were abandoned doesn't give us the right to go around and act like uncivilized animals.” _

_ “They aren't animals, and while they were abandoned, it wasn't this generation's fault.”  _ She spoke up, arching into my touch.  _ “I will stay, if that is what you want.” _

_ “I want you to give them a chance, teach them, and be the better person.” _

_ “Give them a chance to prove they aren't savages from space... I'll do my best.” _

_ “That's all I ask.” _ I said softly, lightly kissing her before returning to her arm. _ “You won’t need to rebandage your arm, beyond the entry point, tomorrow. The burns are already healing.” _ Gently touching the top of the bandage, bring her attention to the few inches that were already light scars that I hadn’t bandaged. 

“I am assuming either the scars will fade, or they will glow?"

"One or the other. It usually depends on how bad the wound was."

"Any idea how bad this actually was?"

"Not very bad. Most electrical burns break the skin, if Lincoln suffered as you did, then he'll be alright in a week or two."

She froze, not wanting to speak on how bad his injuries are. "He'll be ok, I just need an idea on how to get him out."

"It would require the entire camp to be away or out of commission for at least an hour." I mumbled to myself as I let my thoughts race.

Her stomach growled loudly. "I need to find real food."

A thought hit me at her words. "Do they use nuts as rations?"

"Nuts and berries, I swear, I need meat."

"When is the next collection?"

"Tomorrow. I think. I don’t really pay attention to the gatherers. Been trying to get the hunters to get us meat.” Kiran answered honestly. 

"Then it will be about three days before anyone gets to eat them, protect him until then."

"What's your idea?" She asked, wrapping an arm around me. 

"Just don't eat any of the nuts coming into camp, or let Octavia."

“You got it, got something to replace our meager meal with?”

“Something a bit more filling. I’ll make sure to get the two of you some dried meats.” 

She hesitated a second. “Wait, you know Octavia?”

“I know of her. Lincoln believed she would be the best choice to start convincing that Grounders aren't savages. He was supposed to bring her to meet me tonight.”

“If you would like to, I am more than welcome to go grab her. I am sure she needs a bit of space from the ship right now.”

“No, I don't want to ambush her after all this.”

“Ok, once we get him out, either Lincoln or I will bring her by…” Kiran leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I love you, more than life itself. No matter what happens between us. I always will.” 

I leaned into her touch, wrapping my arms around her waist. My apology was unspoken between us. I knew I didn’t need to say the words for her to understand that I was deeply sorry for what happened. Burying my head into her chest, I pressed an ear over her heart to hear her heartbeat. She pulled me tightly to her, her head on mine. We stood quietly for a while, just letting our connection rebuild. I knew we couldn’t just stand here until the world ended; I pulled away, looking up at her.

“Now and Forever, Mako.” She whispered. 

“Always and Eternal, my love.” I answered. 

\------------------------------------------------


	12. A Daring Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lincoln Escapes from the dropship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday to me... means Extra chapters for you. <3

**Kiran:**

The moment I got back to camp, I advised Octavia not to eat any of the nuts. I passed her a small packet of dried meat and told her to hide it. She nodded, disappearing down the ladder, as I was left alone with Lincoln. 

_ “Lincoln, just a few days, I promise. Mako has a plan and it’s already in effect.”  _ I whispered, shifting close to him, holding up a piece of dried meat.  _ “Eat, you need your strength.”  _

He nodded and ate quietly, in his corner of the upper floor. 

It took three days for the plan to unfold. Three days of never leaving Lincoln alone; three days of holding the idiots as bay, telling them that Lincoln was too weak to be questioned again. 

I heard the commotion before I saw anything. Octavia came up the ladder, looking at me in near terror. 

“What the hell did you give them? It’s like the high and the crazy down there.” She spoke quietly. 

“I didn’t do anything.” I answered honestly. “It has to be the nuts.” 

“Jobi nuts.” Lincoln spoke up, looking at the hatch. “When they go bad and are eaten or burned, they cause visions.” 

“Mako’s distraction was of our own design. Nice. Come on Linc. Let’s get you out of here.” I offered him my hand to help him up. He took it, standing. 

_ “Go directly to your home, Goddess will be waiting for you there. Be safe, Linc; you are far more important to the Goddess than you understand.”  _

His eyes met mine, before he spoke up.  _ “So are you, Kiran.”  _

"Did you know this was going to happen? Did you plan this?" Octavia asked softly as she came up next to me. I shook my head. 

“No idea. This is all Mako.” I answered. 

"Jasper thinks there are Grounders everywhere." Octavia spoke up, looking down the hatch. “He should be able to sneak out now.” 

Octavia slipped down the ladder, followed by Lincoln, with me going last. We quietly rushed him out the front gate and away from the chaos that was camp. 

\------------------------------------------

**Mako:**

I once more sat, perched, above the entrance to Lincoln's home. I watched, curiously, as a young woman made her way inside. She's clearly a Sky Child, which made me think that she must be Octavia. Not a moment later I watched Kiran come closer, dropping down next to her when she was finally in front of the cave.

_ “You have to stop doing that.” _

I simply smiled at her before moving inside. Stepping into the main area I saw them talking near the back wall.  _ “This is the Sky Child I have heard so much about then. Octavia.” _

_ “Yes, Octavia Blake, her brother is one of the two in charge. The other is Clarke, she's pretty cool I guess. She might have been a friend in high school.” _ She ducked into the room behind me. "Hello Lincoln, how is the healing going."

A crash filled the room as Octavia jumped and Lincoln whirled to face us. "Holy shit... Lincoln?" She was clearly afraid of me, clearly not expecting my appearance.

He knelt upon seeing me.  _ “Goddess, this is the Sky Child I was talking about.” _

"Yes, Octavia."

Kiran leaned against the wall, smirking at everyone. "Kiran... What's going on? How did you get here? Who is this?"

"I followed you, Octavia, and her... well... How do I explain her?" She hesitated, looking around. "She's my friend, from a long time ago."

"She is the one that taught our people how to survive and live." Lincoln spoke up, looking up at Octavia.

_ “Enough bowing, Lincoln.” _ I said softly as I moved closer.

"You and Kiran are the same age?" She asked, shocked.

"Hey! I am an older by a month and two days!" Kiran said, coming forward. 

Sighing, I turned and glared at her. "Not now, Kiran."

_ “You love me, you know you do.”  _ She whispered, looking at me, but bowing her head. "My apologies, Goddess."

Lincoln slowly stood, looking between Kiran and me, before moving to stand next to Octavia. He looked unsure of what to say.

"Have you taught her anything?"

"Yes, Goddess." Lincoln said, looking at me. "A little of the language and culture."

_ “And of Mating? Of the meaning of the Proposition you plan to lay before her?” _ I asked.

Kiran perked up, smirking.  _ “Oh? Am I not the only Sky Child about to join the Grounders?” _

_ “I hadn't gotten that far, Goddess.” _ He looked towards Octavia.  _ “I was hoping to wait until the time got closer.” _

_ “She is new to our ways and world, Lincoln. It is best you explain it sooner, rather than later. Give her time to think about it and come to understand the choice you are going to lay before her.” _

"What's going on?" Octavia asked Lincoln softly, clearly put on edge.

"She wants to know how much of our culture I have taught you, including a ceremony I need to discuss with you later this evening." Lincoln told her. 

"Ok?" She agreed, confused.

"You have nothing to worry about from me, Sky Child. Unless you intend harm to my son?" The words slipped out without me truly processing my choice in vocabulary.

He froze, looking at me as if I had just dropped a bomb on his head.  _ “Goddess, your son?” _ I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, not turning from Octavia, as I realized my choice in words. Slightly nodding my head in confirmation to him, I waited for her answer.

"I... No, I could never hurt him..." Octavia stuttered out, glancing over at Lincoln in surprise.

_ “Thank you, Goddess.” _ He said, bowing his head again. 

"I am sure you won't Octavia, now you just need to prove it to her." Kiran pointed at me, before looking at Lincoln.  _ “I told you, you are far more important to her than you realize. I hope you understand now.”  _

"You want peace between the Sky People and Grounders?" I asked Octavia. Her answer was to slowly nod her head.

_ “Where are you going with this, Mako?” _ Kiran spoke up, looking at me. 

"Good, because that's what I intend to make happen. I do not want any more bloodshed than there already has been."

Twenty minutes pass, the four of us just chatting about various plans that needed to come to fruition. I excused myself and Kiran, knowing Lincoln needed to talk to Octavia about the Mating bond. Kiran and I made our way to my home, not a word spoken between us. As we sat down at the table, I took her hand and smiled at her. She smiled back and made a funny face. It dropped us both into a fit of laughter. When we finally calmed down, she cleared her throat and looked at me seriously. 

“Tell me about the grounders?” 

“What do you want to know?” 

She hesitated for a moment, as if getting her thoughts in order. “Tell me about their leader, you said you weren’t the leader.” 

“Heda. We follow Heda Leska. She is like Lincoln to me, my daughter. She is blessed with incredible talent. She’s strong, so intelligent. She rules with her head, not her heart, which is her only fault. Some decisions require heart, you know that.” 

She nodded, smiling. “Tell me about Leska, what is she like?” 

We spent the next several hours talking about various leaders in the coalition. Sometime during that time, we made our way to the bed, laying down with each other as we had many many times before. I was telling her about watching Leska grow up, feeling the connection as my child grow, and how proud I am of her choices as Heda. 

“She’s brilliant beyond measure, Kiran, more amazing than I could ever think of.” I spoke softly, her arms wrapped around me. She didn’t respond. Looking over my shoulder, I saw that she was asleep soundly. I pressed a kiss to her jaw and curled back up. 

“Reshop my love.” 

\---------------------------------------------------------


	13. Setting Up A Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy Gets A Reality Check... Clarke meets Lincoln... a Meeting Is set up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. for my birthday, which was yesterday... I will post the last chapter for this week. See you all either Saturday or Sunday for a normal post. 
> 
> <3

**Clarke:**

Lincoln had disappeared along with Kiran not two days ago. Bellamy was going absolutely crazy trying to find Octavia again, and he was driving me beyond nuts. 

“Bellamy Shut up.” I called for the third time. “Kiran is gone too. More likely than not, they are roaming the woods together. Kiran can take care of them both if needed.” 

“What would you know?” He countered. 

“Kiran has been in and out of this camp since we got here. She probably knows this place better than we do. Your sister is smart. She will stick with those that can protect her, until she can protect herself. Stop hovering and let her live.” 

He looked like he was about to explode again, but was cut off as Kiran came in the gate, alone.

“Where’s Octavia?” He turned on her. 

“She’s in the clearing about half a mile from here, waiting for me and Clarke. We are supposed to go hunting.” Kiran answered glaring at him. “What the hell does it matter to you?”

“She’s my sister, my responsibility.”

“You make it sound like she is a burden, rather than blood.” Kiran looked at him. “She is stronger than you will ever know, you parasite.” 

“Parasite?” 

“Yes. Parasite. An organism that lives on or in a host organism and gets its food from or at the expense of its host. Someone that doesnt HELP but only hinders life.” Kiran stepped up to him, just about as tall as him. “You, Bellamy Blake, are a parasite. You don’t hunt, you don't cook, you don’t guard. YOU ARE A PARASITE. We would be better off without you.” 

Bellamy’s face turned bright red. “You don’t either, Kiran. No one knows who you are, no one knows what you do or even what got you locked up.” 

“Oh? The Parasite wants to know who I am?” She laughed in his face. “Wanna know who I am, boy? You wanna know what I did to get locked up? Act like the adult you are, tell everyone what YOU did to get on the ship. You weren’t in lockup. You are over the age of 18, which means you should have been floated years ago.” 

He stayed silent, fuming. Opening and shutting his mouth a few times, he spun on his feet and went to walk away. 

“Oh no you don’t boy. You want to be a big man? You stand like a man and face consequences.” Kiran grabbed his arm and spun him back around. She marched him backwards until he hit the wall of the dropship. “Bellamy, I am gonna make this clear for you. Your sister is more of an adult than you are. She faced her charges, however fucked up the charges were, like an adult. You either snuck on the drop ship like a coward… or were snuck on, probably for payment of some kind. Did you get on your knees for a guard, boy? Is that how you got on?” 

His eyes flashed in anger. “How dare you….” 

“How dare I?” 

I knew he had gone too far. “Kiran…” 

“Just a second Clarke, we will leave in a moment.” She didn’t even bother to look at me. “I’ll make this fucking simple. You aren’t in charge anymore. You fall in line like a good little boy. You give Clarke all the support she needs, you do as she says… and I let you live.” 

“You couldn’t….” His words were cut off as Kiran raised her hand to his face. I spotted the same thing he did. She was holding a knife in her hand, the point against his ribs. 

“Easiest way to kill a man about your size is to shove a knife in between the second and third rib, digging in at least 11 centimeters. This knife is 13 centimeters to the hilt, I wouldn’t even need to use it all. 3 maybe 4 minutes and you bleed out. Not even Clarke can save you. I doubt her mom could save you. Do you really want to try me, boy?” 

Everyone in camp was silent as he made his decision. He lowered his eyes to the ground and muttered something that only he and Kiran could hear. She smiled brightly and let him go. 

“Good. Now get to work, Clarke, Octavia and I are going hunting. You and Mini-Jaha are gonna make a smoke house so that the meat lasts longer.” 

He rushed towards Mini-Jaha and didn’t look at anyone. 

“Come on Clarke, The Better Blake is currently waiting.” Kiran called, looking at me. 

We walked in silence until we got to the clearing. Octavia was not alone. The grounder that was captured was standing next to her and they both were smiling. I stopped just inside the clearing. 

“What is this?” I asked, looking at Kiran who stepped up beside me. 

“Clarke, meet Lincoln.” She said, looking at her. “Lincoln is a scout for the larger village near here. He’s agreed to help us set up a meeting with the General of the Grounder Army.” 

The man, Lincoln, nodded, stepping closer. 

“Lincoln, this is Clarke Griffin, she is our leader.” Kiran placed a hand on the small of my back and led me forward to meet the man. 

“Healer and Leader.” He said, holding out his arm. Kiran took it, grasping his forearm. She let go and motioned for me to do the same. 

She leaned closer to my ear and whispered. “It’s a warriors grasp, it shows that you honor him and his people by learning his way.” 

I took his arm, just as she did. “Nice to meet you Lincoln.” I looked at Kiran. “How did you set this up?” 

“That would have been with my help.” Another voice stated, just behind me. 

Letting go of his arm I jumped and spun around. 

“Clarke Griffin, this is Mako Via.” Kiran spoke up again, going to the woman’s side. “Mako, you remember Clarke.” 

“Ah. I remember you.” the woman, Mako said. “I am here to help you and Lincoln agree on a meeting place. As invaders, you don’t really have a lot of bargaining weight here, but with my backing, Anya and Heda will definitely at least listen.” 

“Who is Heda and Anya… and why would they care what you have to say?” 

“Anya is the General of the Army. Heda however, Heda is in charge of this area. It is Heda’s will if you survive, if you and your Kru are banished or even welcomed.” 

“And you?” 

Before Mako could speak up, Kiran answered. “You two have met before. Remember? You were trying to save Jasper at the time. She is the goddess of the grounders. Like me, but not exactly. You see, where I was tortured and used as a test subject, she was made into a goddess.” Kiran looked at Mako and muttered something that I couldn’t make out. 

Mako answered and glared; before speaking up again. “Kiran’s bitterness aside, Heda listens to my advice and guidance, I am seen as Heda’s mother, after all.” 

“If all that is settled, can we talk about times and places? I’m sick of this being hunted garbage.” Octavia spoke up from behind Lincoln. 

“Come sit, I’ll go hunt really quick so we have something to eat…” Before Kiran could finish, Mako held up two freshly killed and prepped rabbits. She motioned over to the treeline to our left, a large carcass of a deer sat waiting to be taken back to the dropship. “Well never mind then. Let’s talk.” 

Four hours. We talked about times and places and various things to say or avoid saying. Both Mako and Kiran agreed they would stand with the leaders, along with Lincoln and Octavia. If the meeting went well, we would have a truce, with a promise of meeting the Heda. We would need to meet with Heda to survive down here. 

“Repeat after me, Clarke.” Kiran said, looking at me. “Ai laik Klark Kom Skaikru.” 

“Ai like Kark kom sky crew?” 

“Ai laik Klark Kom Skaikru.” She repeated, again and again until she was satisfied with how I spoke. 

“What did you just make me say?” I asked. 

“It’s Trigedasleng. That is how you will introduce yourself to Anya. It shows your willingness to learn. Octavia already knows how to say it. So if you need help, ask her. Or you can ask me. I helped create the language anyways.” 

“Kiran.” Mako rolled her eyes before I could respond. “You three need to get back before they send out a hunting party. “Reshop Klark kom Skaikru, Okteivia kom Skaikru.” 

Mako looked at Kiran and pressed a kiss to her jaw. She spoke softly to her, a smile on both of their lips. Kiran responded also in the Trigedasleng, Lincoln politely averting his eyes and pretending he cannot hear them. 

“Sleep well, my love. I will see you tomorrow at the bridge.” Kiran whispered, kissing Mako’s forehead, and pulling away. Kiran led the four of us back to camp, carrying the deer. Octavia carried the rabbits. Lincoln split off just before we hit the gates. 

Bellamy didn’t say a word as we walked back into the gate which shocked Octavia. 

\----------------------------------------


	14. The Bridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally its the meet at the bridge, but something's not quite right.

**Mako:**

The bridge was quiet, no one had arrived yet. I quickly scouted the area, knowing that both groups would be here soon. Anya’s warriors would have the advantage, the trees were more thick and plentiful on her side of the bridge. Skaikru would need to present a strong front, but weapons were not to be shown. 

I spotted Anya and her unit standing just inside the tree line. Several archers made their way into the trees. 

“Onya.” I spoke up, dropping in front of her. 

“Goddess.” She bowed at the waist, looking at me. “What brings you here?” 

“Skaikru must be taken seriously. They are children, yes, but they are important. Their leader Clarke is smart. A healer and a leader.” 

She arched her eyebrow at me. “How important are the invaders?”

“Skaikru, Onya. They were thrown away from their home, they did not know we existed.” I corrected. “I have spoken with Clarke myself, along with one like me.” 

“Like you?” 

“Yes, like me. Her name is Kiran.” 

Anya took the information and began to think. As she took a moment to gather herself, I heard the commotion of Skaikru appearing. I nodded to the bridge, before spotting one of Lincoln’s brothers, Nyko. He spotted me and knelt. I lightly touched his forehead in thanks as I quickly moved by. Turning, I spotted Anya, in the middle of the bridge with Clarke. Movement off to the side brought my attention to a small group of warriors in the trees. Going to them, I stepped up behind the one giving the silent orders. As the archer looked to him for the firing order, I reached around his head and snapped his neck. The archer looked at me in horror as his fellow warrior fell to the ground at my feet. Turning back to the party on the bridge I caught sight of a small group in the trees near Clarke's side. One of them was looking right at me in shock, I nodded at him as I realized he'd seen the archer too and had been about to step out when I'd acted.

\-------

**THIRD PERSON POV:**

"Did you see that?" Jasper asked, nodding to Bellamy. "A grounder just killed another grounder..."

"What the hell are you talking about, I don't see anything."

"There... on the ground." He pointed to a lump in the grass. "It's a grounder, and look up there, in the tree near it."

"I don't see it." Raven said, glancing around him.

"THERE." He stated again, pointing at the ridge. "In the trees, bright red hair."

"I don't see it." Bellamy shook his head as he turned back to the bridge.

"I know what I saw, Bellamy. There's a grounder over there that killed another."

"It doesn't matter, come on. They're separating."

They quickly made their way to the bridge to meet Clarke, Finn, Octavia, and Lincoln as they walked back. The group whispered among themselves. 

"What happened?" Raven demanded as they got closer.

"It went fine, as far as I can see. It will take a few more meetings." Clarke stated, shrugging. 

"A Grounder killed another grounder, scared an archer into not firing at you, Clarke."

"I swear Jasper, you're the only one who saw anything."

"I know what I saw, and the redheaded grounder killed one." 

"Wait, redheaded grounder?" Kiran spoke up, dropping from a tree. 

"Yeah, I couldn't see her face, but I could see red hair." Jasper looked at Kiran. 

Before anyone could respond, a commotion pulled everyone's attention to the other side of the River, by the bank. A Grounder stumbled out of the trees and took off, he didn't make it more than a few steps before he fell dead, a knife in the back of his neck.

"Interesting... wonder what happened there." Kiran spoke up. "Anyone wanna go ask them?" Another Grounder, red hair shifting in the wind, stepped out of the trees into full view. "That the grounder you saw?" Kiran asked, looking at Jasper. He nodded, eyes going wide. "Ah... yeah. She..." Kiran hesitated.  _ “The Goddess.” _

Mako turned sharply and started toward the bridge, the moment she was close enough, she jumped and landed on the railing. _ “There are three more I have to find, but they won't get off so easily.” _

"Hmm... someone's hunting..."

"Kiran..." The red head held out a knife as she lightly jumped down to stand next to Lincoln and Octavia.

"Mako." The brunette smiled, holding her hand out for the weapon. "Do you have a need for me?"

"Finding the last of the betrayers that attempted to kill one of your Sky People, in order to start a war."

"What do they look like?" Kiran stepped up, taking the knife. "You all get out of here, Lincoln, Octavia, stay with me." They didn’t go immediately. "You wanna stick around and see people die... feel free. I can’t promise your safety."

"They have a blue streak on the back of their armor." Mako turned to Lincoln. "Run and inform Anya that Kanto has betrayed his people, I want his head." Lincoln nodded, turning and running into the woods. He disappeared around a tree, while the others looked at Mako. 

"Who are you?!" Bellamy asked, looking at Mako. 

"The one fighting for peace instead of extermination."

"Who is she, Kiran?" Bellamy looked to Kiran, as if expecting a different answer. 

"As she said, the one fighting for peace, instead of extermination." Kiran said, climbing up a tree and disappearing into the leaves.

Mako spoke up softly, but with an authority that dragged all attention back to her. "I am fighting so that the Sky People can have a place here, so I expect your people to find a way to coexist. Octavia Sky Child has proven she is willing, proving she could be a strong leader. What of you Clarke of the Sky People? Will you fight for the future of your people here or will you repeat the mistakes of the past that had your people up there to begin with?" Without waiting for an answer, she ran and jumped from the bridge, vanishing into the trees.

“What the hell just happened?” Bellamy looked at Clarke. 

“The red-headed grounder, that’s Mako, their goddess. She and Kiran know each other. I don’t understand how, I don’t get why, I just know that. And she just saved our ass. Fall in line Bellamy, let's get the rest back to the dropship. We may be safe for the moment, but this shows that there are those willing to go against their leaders and attack.” Clarke spoke up, looking at the older man. 

He looked like he might challenge the blonde, but he bit his tongue and nodded. Grabbing hold of Jasper and the others, he turned and started back towards the dropship. 

Clarke took one last look at the bridge and sighed. Leading was a lot more difficult than she thought it would be. Across the bridge, something caught Clarke’s eye. A grounder with emerald green eyes and smokey face makeup. She stood tall, shoulders square and head up. Her eyes never left Clarke. Something drew Clarke to her, but she had no idea what it was. 

“Clarke!” Raven called, turning to spot the blonde still standing at the edge of the woods. Clarke spun, looking at Raven before looking back at the grounder. She had disappeared. 

“Who are you?” Clarke whispered to herself. Shaking the feeling of loss off, the blonde caught up with the others. 

“You ok?” Raven asked as Clarke slipped next to her. 

“Yeah. Thought I saw someone…” 

The group made it back to the dropship as the sun began to set, Octavia and Kiran appearing well after sunset. 

“What happened?” Clarke asked, looking at the two. 

“The traitors have been dealt with.” Octavia spoke up first, looking at Kiran. 

“May I speak to you alone, Clarke?” 

Clarke nodded, motioning to a spot just outside the gates of camp. 

“What’s up?” 

Kiran shook her head and motioned further into the woods. As the two entered a clearing a bit away from the dropship, Kiran motioned for Clarke to wait, before she opened her mouth and made an owl sound. A similar sound answered. With a nod, Kiran stepped fully into the clearing, being met with Mako and another large grounder. 

“Kiran, Clarke kom Skaikru. This is Nyko, Lincoln’s brother. He’s a healer as well.” Mako spoke up, nodding to Clarke. “He would like to talk about your healing practices.” 

\-------------------------------------------


	15. Loss of Innocence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiran has killed... how will she react to this? Will Mako be able to calm her? Plus Kiran learns how to control her new abilities. 
> 
> Clarke and Kiran FINALLY talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been editing videos and celebrating my brother in law's birthday. so heres a chapter. Currently writing chapter 19 for this one, Chapter 5 for Soccer and Chapter 5 for K.D.G.O.T. one of those will be updated next. 
> 
> Enjoy!

**Kiran:**

It was nearly midnight when I felt the panic begin to rise. I had done something I had never pictured myself doing. I had killed a man with my bare hands. I left the dropship, making my way to Mako’s cave. I knew I could find calm if I found her. My mind was reeling, his blood still on my hands, drying into a sticky dark red mess. 

The panic continued to rise as I came into the clearing near her cave. My feet just stopped, as I hit my knees below a tree. Curling into a ball, I could feel my tears running down my face, leaving hot and wet trails down in their place. It felt like no time had passed as well as an eternity had passed at the same time. 

"What have I done?" I whispered to myself several times, ignoring my surroundings. 

"Kiran?" A familiar voice spoke up. 

I looked up at Mako, before looking back at my hands, still red with blood. "What have I done?"

"You saved your people by dealing with the traitors and showing Heda Leska that you are worth the effort." I could hear the concern in her voice as she moved to kneel in front of me.

I could feel the sick building in my throat. I pushed her aside, turning slightly and emptying my stomach. As soon as it was over, I wiped my mouth and looked at her. "Sorry."

"It's been a long time since I've seen you like this." She admitted softly as she pulled a rag from one of her pouches and started lovingly cleaning my face.

“I was never a front line soldier, you know that Mako. I’ve never had to… to…” I couldn’t force the words out of my mouth. “To kill a person." I couldn’t recognize my own voice, it sounded forgein to my ears. 

"I'm sorry." 

I opened my arms for her, needing to hold her. I needed to feel her heartbeat against my skin. "I did what I had to do." Mako slipped into my arms and pulled me close without a word of complaint. She always knew what I needed. "Are we safe for the time being?" I asked, laying my head onto hers. 

"Your people are safe, for now. I have trusted sentries watching them too." She reassured me softly by raking her fingers through my hair, a calming measure that she had learned helped me when we first started dating. 

I nodded. "Good." I shut my mind down, needing not to think about the blood on my hands, both literally and physically. 

It was about an hour later that I felt her lips lightly brush mine. Mako’s voice echoed in the darkness of my mind. "Come back to me?"

I blinked several times, tangling my fingers into the back of her shirt. "Sorry... just... I'm ok."

"No you're not." She whimpered softly against my lips. We held each other, silently for a few moments, before I broke that silence. 

“I will be. It will be ok.” 

"Tell me how I can help you."

"Right now, just let me hold you... help me put myself back together."

"You're not in pieces. We are whole together."

I nodded, smiling softly. "Just let me hold you."

"I am and I'm never going to let go."

She pulled away slightly, standing and picking me up. She walked us into her home and over to her bed. She put me down on the bed and laid behind me. I curled into her arms, rolling over to bury my face into her chest. I muttered something unintelligible to us both, she leaned away slightly and asked me to repeat myself. 

“I don’t know what to think about it anymore.” My voice shook. “Am I a good guy or a bad guy?” 

“Kiran, my love. Here, on the ground, it is not black and white. You protect what you love. No good guys, no bad guys, merely people trying to survive.” 

We laid quietly until dawn, the sun beginning to pour into the home. She stood, leaving me in the bed by myself, coming back about 20 minutes later with a tray of food. 

“Come on, my love. You need to eat.” She set the tray down on the table next to the bed. 

"I need to clean my hands first." Reaching out, palms up, she waited for me to put my hands in hers. I slipped my hand into hers, as she pulled me to my feet. She didn't release my hands right away, a warmth encasing them. The blood slowly turned to ash, flaking and peeling off my skin. I looked as it drifted off in the breeze from the windows. "How exactly did you do that?"

"Radiation."

"Good to know... you will have to show me a lot more of that." 

"I will, because there is a lot to learn. Not just our new abilities, but you need to learn to protect yourself.” Mako smiled, looking back at the tray. “First we eat, then we train.” 

I nodded, pulling her into a tight hug and laid my head on her shoulder. "I love you, Mako."

"Love you too, Kiran."

Six hours and entirely too many sore muscles later, Mako dropped me on my ass again. Letting out a groan, I laid back flat on the ground. Everything was sore, muscles I didn’t even know I had, were sore. 

“I haven’t felt this sore since boot camp.” I commented between puffs of breath. 

“If it helps you have gotten better. Still nowhere near a grounder our apparent age, but good.” 

I let out a god awful groan. “There has to be a way to get better, faster.” 

“There is.” Mako said, opening her mouth to speak again before snapping her jaw shut.

“But?” I prompted, knowing there was some kind of caveat. 

“It’s part of the bonding. Once we are bonded, we will share memories. In fact, we will relive our entire lives. Our bond should be rather interesting, given how old we are. I will see everything that happened up there, you will see everything from down here. All the memories of the other are passed between the bonded pair. The only disadvantage we have for that at the moment is we can’t do that until the Equinox.” 

I banged my head against the ground. “Why did they send us down so far from it?” 

“It’s in 5 weeks, Kiran. While it's a distant time, it's still closer than say, new years.” 

“5 weeks… a mere 35 days.” 

“37 specifically, love.” 

Sighing, I stood back up, rolling my neck. “Should we move to our other training?” 

She shook her head. “No, you need to get back to the dropship. You’ve been since missing since dark.” 

I huffed and nodded. “Back to the dropship. No privacy, no good food… no you.” 

She rolled her eyes and looked at me. “37 days, love, and then you never have to leave my side.” 

I blushed softly and laid my head on her shoulder. “37 days.” I felt her press a kiss to my jaw and wrap her arms around me. 

“I’ll walk you back. We can see what you’ve learned about stealth.” Mako challenged me. 

It was a long, near silent, walk back to the dropship. We separated a few hundred yards from the gates. I slipped in the gates and a few people looked up as I walked past. 

“Where the hell have you been?” Bellamy asked. 

A simple arch of my eyebrow, my hand going to the knife on my hip, had him shutting up. The smokehouse was fully built and based on the curls of smoke rising, operational. I moved to the door of the dropship and peaked in. Clarke was working with one of the 100’s younger members. I smiled at my adopted god daughter. 

“Clarke?” I spoke softly, but she looked up the same. 

“Keep it clean and come see me later tonight to rewrap it.” The young man nodded and nearly ran out of the dropship. 

“Kiran. You’ve been gone a while. Is everything alright?” 

“Yes. Skaikru is safe, for now. I had a bit of a problem and I sought out Mako for comfort.” I answered honestly. “I had a rough night.” 

“Are you ok?” She looked me over. 

“I’m fine, now. Thank you for asking. I was wondering… if we could talk about your family. I would love to hear more about Warren.” 

We talked until dark. I learned that my godson had lived a long life as an engineer, as had his son, Fairfax, and grandson, Bristol Jacob, after. Bristol, who most of the time went by Jake, was Clarke’s father. She told me that Jake had been the one to find the oxygen issue. It had gotten him floated, and Clarke locked up. She told me what happened between herself and Wells, she stopped me from killing the boy with my hands. I shifted on my feet, near growling, as she told me that she only had her mom left. She made me promise not to kill Wells, yet.

“You don’t just have her anymore, Clarke. You have me too. I may not be blood, but Loudoun and I always considered each other siblings. He was my brother, you are my family too.” I answered her on that last comment, offering her a hug. 

She slipped into my arms and pressed her forehead to my shoulder. “Thank you Kiran.” 

“Always, Clarke. I will never turn my back on family.” 

\----------------------------------------------


	16. Idiots In Hazmat Suits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mount Weather Attacks, Kiran has a nightmare, and we hear a bit more about Kiran's time in lock up.
> 
> \--SEE NOTE AT BEGINNING OF CHAPTER BEFORE READING!!!!--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY AND JUST - READ THIS: 
> 
> Now that I have your attention - IF YOU ARE TRIGGERED BY SEXUAL ASSAULT/RAPE - SKIP IT. I will say it again SKIP THE BOLD SECTION - It's about 700 words and clearly marked, centered, and bolded. Indicators are below. 
> 
> \--- NIGHTMARE---  
> to  
> \--- NIGHTMARE END---
> 
> SKIP THAT SECTION.  
> \--Lok

**Clarke:**

I had just returned from gathering more of the plants Nyko had shown me that would be effective, when I noticed something wasn’t quite right. There was an uneasy feeling settling in my stomach as I entered the dropship itself. The camp looked fine, no one was causing problems. It was as I crossed the barrier of the dropship door that I heard a slight pop and a few startled yelps. I turned to see what was going on, only to be met with red smoke curling into the air. Those closest to the smoke started to fall to the ground. I covered my face and raced forward. I had to help who I could. As I grabbed for Charlotte, the youngest of us, I heard loud bangs. It sounded like guns. I fell to my stomach, making myself a non-target and tugged Charlotte towards one of the hidden gates built into the walls around us. I pushed her limp body into the tunnel and was about to follow when I heard a yelp behind me. 

Looking back, my eyes fell on body after body, some untouched, a few looked to be bleeding. I didn’t understand what was going on. We had made a truce with the Grounders. Had they broken it to get rid of us? I knew that Kiran was not at camp, so there was no way of knowing if something had happened between our groups. 

I didn’t get to think longer than that as I heard boots stomping towards me and something hit me hard in the back of the head. I was dizzy for a few seconds as I heard someone speak. 

“This is Emerson, I have the children…” His voice faded as I fell into oblivion. 

\-------------------------

**Kiran:**

I was only a half mile from the dropship when I saw the red smoke. I poked Mako in her side and pointed to it. 

“What the hell is that?” 

“Mountain Men.” She said, her voice stone cold. “They use the red smoke to knock out people who they are going to kidnap.” Without another word she raced forward, towards the red smoke. 

“We are running TOWARDS the smoke that knocks people out, why?” 

“We aren’t affected, Kiran. They are kidnapping the Skaikru. I don’t know for what purpose, but they are taking them. We have to stop them while we can.” 

I didn’t bother to answer as I followed her in the direction of the dropship. It was as I was getting close that I realized that Clarke should have been back to the dropship by this point. She was in danger. 

“Clarke.” I said just loud enough for Mako to hear. 

“If she is still in the woods, she will have a chance. If she’s at the camp, she may already be gone.” Mako’s voice was soft, as if preparing me to accept that my only other family was most likely gone, forever. 

I felt bile rise in my throat as I spotted several grounder bodies laying near the walls of the camp. None were breathing and based on the dark blood flowing from them, they were dead, or close to it. 

Mako didn’t stop to check on them, going into the red smoke as it curled and turned in the air. I followed behind, losing her in the smoke and tripping over something. I looked at what I had tripped over. A member of the 100, a bullet to the back, high enough that he would have been dead near instantly. I bit back a scream, they hadn’t just kidnapped people, they had killed some as well. My fear for Clarke skyrocketed, as I stood and heard footsteps come at me. I knew Mako wouldn’t make a sound. I waited until I saw what looked like an old hazmat suit appear in the smoke. Before he had the chance to raise his weapon, I jumped on him, my knife puncturing his suit. His screams caught the attention of those hidden in the smoke around us. I watched as his skin began to bubble and melt. I didn’t bother killing him, the air it seems would do that for me. Another Hazmat suit appeared, and I slashed at him too, catching his shoulder with my knife. His suit ripped, letting the air in as well. He fell to his knees, screaming. I pushed the sounds of his screaming out of my head as the smoke began to clear. I spotted one more bright gray hazmat suit. 

I felt a growl leave my lips as I rushed the man. I flung my body at the man, taking us both to the ground. I turned the man under me to face me, holding my knife to show him I would attack if I needed to. 

“WHO ARE YOU?” I screamed in his face. 

“Brent…” His voice shook, he looked to only be about 18 years old. 

“What are you doing with the children?” I demanded, lowering my knife closer to his suit. 

“Please… don’t kill me. I swear, I am new. I just follow orders, I am a junior guard. I got lost in the smoke. I was supposed to go back with Emerson…” He whimpered. 

“That didn’t answer my question… What are you doing with the children?” 

“They will be taken into the Mountain Bunker. Cage wants to have them introduced into the gene pool. I swear that’s all i know.” The boy shook below me. I heard a huff from my right. I glanced over to see Mako standing there staring at the boy too. 

“So they won’t be drained like my people? Hung up like blood bags to save your skin?” Her voice was like a blade. The boy flinched, before shaking his head.

“I swear, all I know is we were supposed to grab as many as we could and go back. They will be disinfected and put in quarantine for a few days. Once they are clear of radiation, they will be moved and introduced to the population. Cage will probably force them into pairs with our people of the same age. I can only guess that’s what he’s gonna do. I was told to follow Emerson out here and help gather people.”

“What should we do with him, Mako?” I asked, not bothering to look at her. 

“I say we hand him over to Heda and see what she has to say.” 

His eyes went wide and he began to beg. “Please, please not that. I was only doing what I was told. Please. I was supposed to grab the blonde leader and get back in the rover, but I got lost in the smoke…” 

My knife went back to his visor. “You were supposed to grab WHO?” 

“Kiran…” Mako’s voice was softer to me, as I felt a hand on my shoulder. 

“The blonde… the Leader. I dunno what her name is but she was who i was specifically told to grab. Cage wants her alive.” 

“My blood. This Cage wants my daughter…” I could feel my body vibrating with rage. “Mako, you can have him. I am going to the Mountain.” 

“No.” Mako stood in front of me and held me back. “No you aren’t. WE both are taking the boy to Heda and Heda will decide what to do.” 

“SHE IS MY DAUGHTER MAKO. I WILL DO WHAT I PLEASE. I WILL LEVEL THE MOUNTAIN…” I yelled, taking a step forward. Mako sighed, quickly putting me on my ass and wrapping herself around me. She put me in a sleeper hold and stayed that way until I blacked out. 

Two hours later, I came to, inside a tent. My arms were tied to the frame of the cot I was laying on. I heard voices close by, as my mind finished waking, I began to follow the conversation. 

_“Can Kiran be trusted?”_ One voice spoke, it sounded like the grounder from the bridge, Anya. 

_“Yes. She just lost someone she saw as a daughter, she was upset. She will be once again when she wakes, but understand, she will follow me to the ends of the earth if need be.”_ Mako answered. _“Heda, she will not be a problem once I speak to her.”_

_“See to it that she doesn’t become a problem, or she will be spending time in one of the cells, Goddess. Friend of yours or not, I will not have her questioning my authority.”_ A new voice spoke. 

_“Sha Heda.”_

_“How many were lost at the camp, Mako.”_ Heda, I assumed that's who it was, spoke. 

_“4 Trikru scouts who are being retrieved with the 10 Skaikru that were killed. Octavia was with Lincoln, which leaves the mountain with 86 of them locked up, unless there are those that were not at camp, which is possible. I will leave Lincoln and Octavia at the camp with two of my chosen to look out for any that were missing.”_

_“Send an extra few of my guards as well, I want the Skaigada protected.”_ Heda ordered. 

_“Heda is it wise to spare your personal guard, to watch over a wayward scout and his skai lover?”_ The first voice spoke up. 

_“Are you questioning me Onya?”_

That confirmed my suspicion that Anya was here with Mako and Heda. It was not much of a surprise. Before I could catch more, I felt myself tire greatly. I let myself fall into sleep once more. That was probably a bad idea. 

**\---NIGHTMARE---**

**I woke and was back on the Ark. I was strapped to the wall, my head the only part of my body free to move. I looked around, knowing the room well. Dr. Walters had one of the guards drag me to this room at least twice a week for nearly a year. I would be strapped to the wall or the table and poked and prodded. Most of the time I was left wearing only a small pair of shorts and my sports bra.**

**“You will answer whatever we ask you… or I will make it hurt, do you understand?” The Doc asked, holding up an odd looking tool.**

**“I do understand, but that doesn’t mean I am gonna do it. I’m not afraid of you, Doc.” I answered, looking at her.**

**She huffed and pressed the tool to the skin of my bare stomach. I felt the burning before I smelt the scent of burnt flesh. I bit my lip, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of hearing me scream. She lifted it, before moving over slightly and pressing it down again. This time I couldn’t stop the scream.**

**“YES. I UNDERSTAND.” I screamed, wanting the pain to stop.**

**“Good.” She answered, pulling the tool away from my skin. “What is your name?”**

**“Kiran Alexandria Snyder.”**

**“When is your birthday?” Simple questions so far.**

**“August 11th, 2026.”**

**She pressed the tool to my skin near my belly button. She held it there until I screamed.**

**“I ANSWERED.”**

**“You expect me to believe you are over 100 years old?”**

**“It’s the truth. I was born in Boston on August 11th, 2026. I was 26 when the first bombs fell. Check the database of the original Arkers. I am listed.”**

**She growled slightly as she brought up a file on her tablet. She must have found what she was looking for, as she took a breath and asked another question.**

**“How are you still alive?”**

**“I can honestly say, I have no idea.”**

**She went to press the tool to my stomach once more, before pulling back. She set the tool down and grabbed a scalpel. She cut my shorts and sports bra off. My eyes went wide as she placed the scalpel back down.**

**“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice soft. I had a bad feeling things were about to go beyond what I would want to survive.**

**“Are you a virgin?” The Doc asked, not looking at me. She seemed to be deciding on what of her new tools she was going to play with next.**

**“No.”**

**“Shame. I am sure that Keith here would have enjoyed taking that from you.” She muttered.**

**“That’s not happening.” I pulled at the restraints. “He’s not laying a finger on me.”**

**“Oh? And are you going to stop him?” She challenged, as he moved forward. “I certainly won’t.”**

**As he came closer, I began to panic. Would she really allow him to do that… go that far… with someone unwilling?**

**“Doc, this isn’t funny. I’ve done everything you asked.”**

**She didn’t speak as he began to unbuckle his pants. I swallowed hard, praying to every god I could think of to make this stop.**

**“Doc. Please. What if I was your daughter, your friend? Would you really let this happen to her?” I pleaded, as the guard got closer, his pants hanging off his hips, his boxers clearly in view. He was serious about this. He was going to commit the unthinkable.**

**“But you aren’t. I have no children as of now, Prisoner. Even if I did, I wouldn’t want one as weak and abnormal as you. You are a freak and will be treated however we please.” The Doc said, as she packed her tools and moved to the door. “Once you are finished with her, put her back in her cell.”**

**“You got it Doc.” The guard said, as his hands reached for my naked body. His fingers slid over my skin as I slammed my eyes shut. I didn’t want to see what was coming next. I let out a scream…**

**\--- NIGHTMARE END---**

“Kiran... Love please…” I could hear Mako’s voice over the screaming. Who was screaming? It made no sense. “Kiran, open your eyes, love. Please. Wake up.” I felt hands on my body once more, and I started fighting back as best as I could with my arms still bound. 

“NO. DON’T… PLEASE… DON’T DO THIS…. PLEASE.” I felt the words leave my lips as I pulled hard on the restraints. One of them gave way and I grabbed whatever was holding my arm down. I began to swing it at whoever was near me, still unseeing. 

“KIRAN!” Mako’s voice cracked the nightmare in two. Suddenly, I was cold and wet. My eyes snapped open and I looked at the room around me. I held the cot pole in front of me, my breath coming in heavy quick pants. 

“What happened?” I asked, pushing the nightmare down into the recesses of my mind. 

“You started screaming and fighting the cot, like a toddler.” Anya spoke up, clearly unimpressed with what just occurred. “You broke the cot as well, great job.” 

I glared at her, swallowing the words I was going to snap at her. It took all of a moment to realize that I had had a nightmare and what the nightmare was… 

“Mako untie me…. Now.” I pleaded, holding my stomach. She seemed to realize what was going on, and instead of untying me, she handed me a bucket. Once it was in front of me, I let go. My stomach emptied into the bucket and didn’t stop until I had nothing but bile left coming up. Once I was sure it was finished, I nodded. Mako pulled the bucket away and grabbed a small waterskin. I washed my mouth out and refused to meet anyone’s eye. 

“That wasn’t just a nightmare was it.” the third person, Heda I would assume, spoke up. I shook my head, not trusting my voice. “You do not have to share with me, or anyone you don’t choose, but you need to talk them out. They will not go until you confront them.” 

I nodded, meeting her eyes. Her eyes were forest green, reminding me much of Mako’s emerald orbs. I knew this was not something I could share with Mako. She would never look at me the same. 

“I suggest that she get some kind of broth and maybe some bread… and then try and relax…” Heda spoke once more, looking at Mako. I saw Mako nod out of the corner of my eye and she untied me. 

_“Sorry about the bed, Heda Leska.”_ I mumbled. Once I was free, I knelt in front of Heda and bowed my head. _“I beg your forgiveness.”_

“Stand, Kiran Kom Skaikru en Trikru. There is nothing to forgive. You were not in control of yourself and it can be easily fixed.” Heda said, offering me her hand. 

I took it, in a warriors embrace and nodded. I turned to Mako, still not meeting her eye. I could see that she was trying to get me to look at her, but I knew that if I met her eyes, I would fall apart. I shook my head, pushing the memories further down and following Mako out of the tent. No one seemed to pay any attention to the strange sky girl, when Mako was walking next to her. Every warrior bowed their head in respect as Mako and I passed. With a quick word to one of the many younger warriors, who quickly ran away, Mako opened a tent flap and gently pushed me inside it. It took all of two minutes for the food to appear at the entrance. Once I had forced the food down, I curled up in the corner, away from everything and every one. 

“Kiran, talk to me.” Mako pleaded, her voice soft as she sat across from me. 

“I have nightmares, PTSD, panic attacks.” I answered, knowing it's not what she wanted me to talk about. “Mentally I am not ok, Mako.” 

“Do you want to talk about the nightmare?” She offered softly. I quickly shook my head, my body filling with terror. 

_“I just found you… if I tell you… you’ll leave me.”_ I muttered. I wasn’t sure she would hear me, it wasn’t meant for her. But her face said otherwise. She looked at me in confusion. 

_“Nothing in this world would make me leave you.”_

_“This would… How could you want me… when I am so broken? So Dirty… I’m unloveable.”_

“Oh my love. What have they done to you?” Mako whispered, scooting closer to me. I panicked and tried to force myself back from her, only to be met with the side of the tent. “Ok. Ok. I’ll move back.” 

We sat in silence, the only sound in the tent was my heavy breathing. I don’t know how much time passed before there was a commotion outside the tent entrance. Mako stood and moved to find out what was going on. She returned for a moment and spoke softly. 

“Kiran, love, I will be right here, but Heda is going to come in ok?” I stared at the bed and nodded, making myself as small as possible. 

Mako opened the tent and Heda came in. The two talked too softly for me to hear, before they both looked at me. 

“Kiran, I am gonna step outside ok? Leska is gonna sit with you for a few minutes.” Mako looked at me and held back a sob. I was suffering and I wouldn’t let her help me. She left, and I was alone with the Heda. 

“Kiran, I understand if you don’t want to talk about your nightmares with Mako. She is your niron, you do not want her to look at you differently. I however, will not. You are stronger than you think, no matter what was done to you, or what you lived through.” Leska said as she made her way over to the spot Mako had been sitting and sat down on the ground. 

“How much has Mako told you about my history, Heda.” I asked, my voice no more than a whisper. 

“Only that you lived in space and were a prisoner for a long time.” She answered, looking at me. “When it is just you and I, you can call me Lexa or Leska. Whichever you prefer, if you will continue to allow me to call you Kiran.” 

“Leska…” I nodded, I uncurled slightly. “Once they realized I wasn’t aging… They started doing tests on me. Basic blood tests at first, but then it became pure torture. My nightmare…” I paused, my breathing picking up again. 

“Calm, Kiran. You are safe here, no one will hurt you and anyone that hurt you in the past will pay for what they have done.” Leska said, scooting forward enough to place a hand on my foot. The only place I didn’t have tucked away. I flinched slightly, but before she pulled away I shook my head. 

“I’m ok. I just wasn’t expecting it.” 

Leska nodded, but didn’t remove her hand. 

“One of the last times they tortured me… the doc had a guard with her. Not one of the normal ones. He stood by the door as I was stripped down to my underclothes and strapped to the wall. He watched her torture me for a while. The doc asked me if I was virgin. I said no. She said it was a shame. Keith… the guard…” I shuddered, my voice failing me. I shook my head and began to rock back and forth. Leska scooted closer once more, her hand moving to my arm which covered my knees. Her hand began to gently brush up and down on my arm, trying to help me calm myself. It took a few moments before I spoke again. “She said it was a shame that Keith wouldn’t get to take that from me. She cut the rest of my clothing off and left me alone with him. He… took off his pants and… ” I refused to look at her. This was my greatest pain and shame. I allowed another to do that to me.

“Kiran, look at me please.” Leska’s voice was calm but rigid. I did as she ordered and looked at her, just not enough to meet her eye. 

“The person who did this to you, should they survive coming down here… will be punished. They will not survive that punishment. For someone to force themselves on someone else, that alone, Kiran, is death to the aggressor. Keith is a dead man, he just doesn’t know it yet.” Leska ran her hand over my arm once more. “As for this Doc. She will be punished as well. This I promise you, Kiran.” 

“I ask only one thing, Leska.” I bit my lip, knowing she didn’t have a reason to grant my request. 

“What would that be, Kiran?”

“Don’t tell Mako what I just said to you… Please.” I begged, shrinking back into myself. 

“I will speak of nothing that you do not want spoken. It is not mine to tell, Kiran. I give you my word on that.” She hesitated for a moment before holding up a small bottle. “This is something that I used a few years back when my niron was taken from me and killed. It allows you to sleep without dreams. Do you want to try some?” 

I nodded, taking the bottle and downing it in one go. I buried my face in my arms once I handed the bottle back to her. Leska moved her hand to the top of my head and began to run her fingers through my hair. I calmed down enough to fall asleep once more. I was safe here, I knew that. Mako would not let anything happen to me, and Leska was proving to be just as trustworthy. 

\-------------------------


	17. Escape From Weather Mountain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Clarke locked in the mountain, she figures out something isn't quite right. Raven looks for help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10 points to whoever gets the reference in the title. <3 
> 
> Also - CLEXA FINALLY MEET!

**Clarke:**

Something wasn’t right. None of this made sense based on what Kiran and Mako had told us. The Mountain Men to the grounders, were monsters. But here they were, treating us Skaikru with respect and giving us cake. It was like night and day. Cage, the head of security, and his father President Dante seemed way too good to be true. They had captured nearly 90 people, and based on who was missing, I could see that something wasn’t quite right. Octavia went hunting with Lincoln; Kiran was off who knows where doing whatever it was she was doing; Raven and Murphy were both missing as well. 

“Miss Griffin?” one of the guards came up to me. “President Wallace would like to talk to you.” 

I nodded, looking at the others at the table. I caught Monroe’s eyes and nodded to the others at the table. She would look after them while I was gone. 

I followed the guard to the President’s office, rolling my eyes. This man was as bad as Jaha. He held me in his office for over an hour asking indirectly about the missing sky kids and how close we were to the grounders. After answering him with yet another ‘I don’t know’, he let me go back to the dorms. Along the way, I wandered by the security office to find that they had cameras looking out over our dropship camp and even what looked like a village. Inside the village, I spotted Kiran, looking very much like a grounder. 

“Sir, the Savages are gathering again. Should we send a missile out?” one of the techs in the room spoke up. I couldn’t see the man. 

“No. We will wait for more of them to gather first. Once they have a larger force there, release a missile.” Another voice answered, this one I recognized. Cage Wallace. 

I had to get out of here and warn them, but how? I needed a plan.

**Raven:**

I had heard the gunshots and taken off, I don’t know how far I ran, but I ended up running straight into a small village. The young warrior guards began yelling at me in a language I didn’t understand. I threw my hands up, in a surrender gesture and spoke the only words I knew. 

“Ai laik Reivon Kom Skaikru. Jak ai op Onya Kom Trikru.” I hoped that I said that correctly. 

They looked at me, and my hope dwindled. 

“Skaikru?” One of the older guards spoke. “You are Skaikru?” 

“You speak english. Good. Yes. I am Skaikru, I need to speak to Anya, General of the Army. She will know who I am, or at least, who I am with. Please.” 

Before the young guard could speak again, a figure appeared at the edge of the village, just a few feet from where I had come from. 

“Murphy?” 

“What are you doing here Mechanic?” He asked, before spotting the guards. 

“Currently trying to get them to take me to the General that Clarke met up with two days ago.” 

“Who is he?” The guard spoke again. 

“Mofi Kom Skaikru.” I answered quickly before Murphy could speak again. “He’s with me.” I gave Murphy a look to urge him to play along. 

“Yeah, with her.” He echoed, throwing up his own hands, a knife visible on his hip. 

The guards chattered to themselves for a bit before the same guard spoke again. 

“We are going to take you to Tondisi to see Onya. To do this, you will be tied. Do not fight back, and no harm will come. Understand?” 

“I understand.” Offering my hands to be restrained. Murphy merely nodded, following me in offering his hands as well. The march to Tondisi took two days. As we got close, one of the guards ran forward, to advise of our arrival. We were met at the gates and our weapons taken. As they went to take my tools, a familiar voice spoke up. 

“She can keep those. They are not weapons.” Kiran walked up with a grounder next to her. She looked much like a gounder herself. 

“Kiran… what happened?” I asked. 

“Come, Heda Leska is going to want to speak to you.” She nodded to the guards and turned to enter the village. We followed behind, our hands still bound. She stopped at the largest tent in the area. The guard standing at it’s entrance peaked in and spoke for a moment, before pulling back out and opening the tent flap for us to walk in. 

“Heda, this is Raven Reyes and John Murphy; he prefers just Murphy. They are survivors from the drop ship.” Kiran speaks, inclining her head to the woman sitting on the throne. She motioned for the two of us to bow. 

“Welcome to Tondisi, Reivon, Mofi.” The woman speaks with a tone that leaves no arguments. “I will need to know why you were not taken by the Maunon.” 

I must have looked slightly confused, because Kiran explained. 

“She wants to know why you weren’t at the drop ship when the Mountain Men attacked. Everyone that was is missing or dead.” 

My heart clenched at the word dead. “Kiran who’s dead?” 

“Ten in total, we sent them into the next life yesterday. Bartlett, Colonna, Warren, Yaworski, Dax, Mbege, Diggs, Myles, Drew…” Kiran’s voice cut off at nine names. 

“That’s nine, Kiran. Who’s the last?” I asked, my chest squeezing further and further. 

Kiran looked at Heda and took a breath. “I probably should have done this conversation later. Moba Heda.” She looked back to me and I could see it in her eyes. 

“Finn.” The name caught in my throat. “It’s Finn isn’t it.” 

“I’m sorry, I really am. I tried, I really tried to save him, to save all of them, but I was too late.” Kiran hung her head and went quiet. 

“Perhaps we should discuss how you escaped after you rest.” Heda spoke up, before speaking to the grounder next to her. The grounder nodded and spoke to Kiran directly. Kiran looked up at the woman and nodded. 

“Raven, Murphy, let's get you settled into two tents and we will speak of this later.” Kiran’s voice seemed lifeless and broken. She cut our hands free and led us both to a set of tents. “Raven, this is your tent, Murphy yours is next to it. Please stay here for a bit while Heda and Mako discuss what to do at this point.” 

“Kiran…” I couldn’t decide what I wanted to say at that point. “How… how did he…” 

“From what I saw? He was shot in the back, near his shoulder blades. His body was laying on his side, his arms seemed to be trying to grab onto something. He may have been trying to protect one of the younger delinquents.” She offered, slowly, as if trying to choose her words carefully. 

I nodded, laying down and curling onto the furs that were laid out. I heard her leave the tent and I felt the tears fall before I lost myself to the oblivion of memories. 

**Clarke:**

It’s been four days since I woke up in the infirmary. I had a solid plan and I was already about halfway through that plan when the alarms sounded. I had told Harper my intention of escaping to get help. There was no way we could stay here. Jolted from my thoughts the alarm rang louder. 

“Shit.” I muttered to myself as I made our way into the medical bay. If they were draining the Grounders, it had to be done as close to medical as possible. I followed the lines and managed to get into a room full of cages. Inside most of the cages, were a bunch of grounders. 

“Who here speaks english?” I asked, looking at the grounders. None of them spoke up. 

“Ai laik Klark kom Skaikru. I have met Onya kom Trikru. I need a guide to get me back to her land.” Still no volunteers, I hesitate for a moment before a hand reaches out. 

“Skaikru… you are the ones that fell to the ground.” the man said, looking at me. 

“Yes. I fell from the sky. Please, I need to get back to Onya. She will know what to do.” 

“Let me out, I will take you to Tondisi.” the man agreed. “Ai Laik Galen kom Trikru.”

I quickly picked his lock, thanking Raven the whole time, and let him out. He stood straight up for the first time and I could hear his bones cracking. Once he was set I realized he was taller than me, but slight. His brown hair shaggy, with a scraggly beard to match. His brown eyes met mine. I offered my arm, in the warrior’s grasp, and he took it. 

“Come, this is where they drop the bodies of my kru. We will have to escape this way.” He pointed to a small alcove in the room. We made our way over and I saw a button on the wall. Pressing it, the floor in the alcove opened to a small chute. 

“I will go first, follow after a moment. Be careful.” He said, before jumping down into the open hole. He disappeared from view and I waited, counting 60 seconds, before I followed. The hole sealed itself above me and I was dropped into darkness for a few seconds before I was dumped into a cart full of bodies. Some looked to be still alive. Galen pulled me from the cart and to my feet. “Come and be quiet. We are in the land of the Ripas. Without weapons, we will not survive meeting with them.” 

It took us nearly 30 minutes to find our way to a brighter tunnel; only to be met with a sheer drop into water. 

“We have to jump.” He said, shifting close to the edge. 

“Only problem here. I can’t swim.” I admit, looking at him. “We didn’t have lakes in space.” 

“I will make sure you survive this jump, Klark. This I swear to you.” Galen offered his arm to me. I took it. He quickly grabbed my arm and tossed me off the edge, before following me down. 

I hit the water and everything went dark. 

Coughing up water, I blinked as the bright sunlight burned into my eyes. “What happened?”

“I told you I would make sure you survived. But we must go, the Maunon are hunting.” 

“Trackers… they didn’t notice that we were missing. They have to be tracking us somehow.” My mind was going about a mile a minute. “Run your hands over your body. If you feel a lump, that’s it.” I quickly did the same, nothing for me. 

“Found it.” He offered his arm to me. “What do we do now?” 

“I have to cut it out of you, but I have nothing to do it with.” 

“I can fix that, but you must help me control the bleeding once I do it.” 

I nodded, not sure what he was about to do. Before I could stop him, he bit down on his forearm, ripping the tracker out of his arm. I pulled off my overshirt and wrapped his arm in the shirt. “I was not expecting that at all. You will need stitches soon. How long will it take us to get to Tondisi?” 

“A day, if we go directly. Two if we go to the nearest village for healing.” He offered me the choice. 

“Let’s go directly to Tondisi, I have to find Anya as quickly as possible. I have to see who survived the attack.” 

We dropped the tracker and made our way directly to Tondisi. Walking until we couldn’t take another step, we made camp, Galen offering to take first watch. I fell asleep quickly, only being shaken away by Galen. 

“Klark, wake up.” Galen said, as my eyes opened. “There is a scout from Tondisi here.” 

I looked at the scout only to find Lincoln. “Lincoln!” 

“Clarke, how did you… Never mind. Come, we have to get you to Heda and The Goddess. Kiran has been going crazy trying to plan a way to save you.” He babbled, pulling me to my feet. “Octavia will be so happy to see you are here. Raven and her have been almost unbearable in their shared upset of you being missing.” 

“Octavia and Raven are safe? Who else?” 

“In total? You make five. Octavia, Raven, Murphy, Kiran and you.” He seemed like there was something that needed to be said as well. 

“Let’s get going.” 

I followed close behind Lincoln as Galen followed me. The three of us made it to the gates of Tondisi in just a few hours. The moment I stepped foot inside the village, I could hear the whispers. Lincoln was leading us to a large tent in the center of the village. As we walked up to the tent, the guard let us pass without a word. The scene in front of me surprised me. 

Raven and Octavia were talking freely with Kiran and Mako, with Anya and another warrior watching them closely. It took a moment before I recognized the unknown warrior. I had seen her at the bridge. We had locked eyes for a while before Raven had pulled my attention from her. She was just as startlingly breathtaking close up. 

“Lincoln, what do you have for us?” Anya spoke up, not looking at the man. 

“Klark kom Skaikru, Onya.” Lincoln spoke up, causing everyone to freeze. 

“Clarke?” Kiran’s voice was sharp, as she spun on her toes, as if ready to attack Lincoln for lying to her. Her eyes landed on me and she hesitated a moment. Before I could say a word, she launched herself at me and pulled me into her arms tightly. She started talking faster and faster, before she pulled back and looked me over, checking for injuries. “Are you ok? Where are you hurt?” 

“Kiran!” Mako spoke up, shifting closer. “Let the girl breathe.” 

Kiran blushed slightly before letting me go. “Sorry… I just… I’ve been worried.” 

“Klark kom Skaikru, Heda en fisa.” The green eyed warrior spoke up, looking me over. 

“Clarke, this is Heda Leska. She is the Commander of the Coalition.” Kiran supplied. 

“Nice to meet you, Heda.” I offered my arm to her in a warrior’s grasp. She took it, looking me in the eyes. I once again found myself lost in the emerald green pools. 

\------------------------------------------


	18. The Ark Comes Falling Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we have it... Ark-Fall.... and with it... a lot of issues. Kiran will face someone she thought she would never have to see again...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late delay on this story... I've been in training for my new job. Once I get adjusted to the new hours, regular uploads will be back.

**Kiran:**

Since she had arrived at Tondisi, Raven had built a working radio. We managed to get it to the point where we were comfortable trying to reach the Ark, when Lincoln brought Clarke back to us. With our leader back among us, we started the radio up and attempted to contact the ark. 

“Raven Reyes to Ark Station. Come in Ark Station.” Raven spoke up, waiting for a response. She repeated her message a few times before someone responded back. 

“Who is this? How did you get on this frequency?” the response began, before being cut off. 

“Reyes?” a new voice answered. 

“SINCLAIR!” Raven smiled brightly. “I am broadcasting from the ground. The 100 are alive.” She bit back her feeling on how many actually were alive. 

“Raven, this is Abby Griffin, we have you off the arkwide channel and here in communications.” The Doc’s voice echoed in the room. I flinched back from her voice, before I could stop myself. Mako looked at me in concern before glaring at the radio. 

“Mom?” Clarke spoke up, taking the radio.

“Clarke! Oh my baby.” the doc’s voice came back. “Are you ok? When everyone’s wristband went out there was a bit of a panic up here.” 

“Considering mine was off the first day… and theirs off a few days later… I would say that you have had a rough week, Doc.” I spoke up, loud enough to be heard. 

“Is that… Prisoner 2?” The doc asked. 

“Hang on, I can get the video up and running in a second.” Raven began to tinker with a few things before an image flickered on the screen. “Got it.” 

I flinched once more as Doc came on screen, once again, Mako spotted my response. 

“Clarke.” The Doc touched the screen, as if touching her daughter’s face. 

“I’m fine mom. Kiran has seen to that.” Clarke answered, looking at me. She smiled softly and turned back to her mom. “She is after all, family.” 

The doc’s face fell. “How did you find out?”

“Find out? Really Doc? She’s named after me. I know her father’s family tree. She’s my goddaughter.” I spoke up, venom in my voice. “Just like her father was my godson, his father, and his father, and his father before him as well. Loudoun made sure that I would be part of the family. That’s why Bristol… sorry, Jake, made sure that she carried my name.” 

With that, I pressed a kiss to the top of Clarke’s head and left the tent. I could hear footsteps following me, but I paid them no mind. I needed to calm down, so I headed to the training pits. 

**Clarke:**

Kiran stormed out, and Mako followed after a look at Heda. I stared at my mother in a new light. There was something between the two, something I knew nothing about and that scared me. What kind of history were the two of them hiding?

Raven tapped my arm to get my attention. 

“They need to come down, before they run out of air completely.” She reminded me. 

“Clarke.” My mother spoke up once more. 

“We can discuss this once you come down. How are we going to do this?” I shifted on my feet. 

“The remaining drop ships won’t carry everyone.” 

“So bring it all down.” Raven spoke up, taking the radio out of my hands. “Have Sinclair run the numbers, and bring it all down. He would be able to say where to put the people.” 

“I’ll run it, but it’s likely that only one or two stations will survive.” Sinclair spoke up from the background, before popping his head into frame. “I’ll radio back once I have some numbers for you.” 

“Clarke, Raven said the 100 are alive. We should set up a time for them to speak to whatever family they have up here.” Mom said, not taking her eyes off me. 

I shifted on my feet, wondering how I was going to tell her that there’s only 5 of us available, and I am the only one with family left.

“That’s gonna be a bit of a problem. Not all of the 100 are alive, and not all of them are with us at the moment.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Mount Weather is Hostile.” I said simply. “There are survivors within it, and they are hostile. They have kidnapped the majority of the 100, killing 10 in the process. We are now down to 87 total, if I have counted correctly.” I looked at Raven and she nodded. “87 total at this point… and all but 5 of us are locked in the mountain. We are working with the Survivors on the ground to get them out of it.” 

“Survivors?” 

I looked at Heda Leska. “Commander, would you like to introduce yourself?” I watched as she stepped closer to me, coming into frame for the radio. “Mom, this is Commander Leska. She is the leader of the Survivors.” 

“She’s a child.” 

“I am 21 summers old, and have been leading for 6 summers now. You will watch your tongue or I will cut it out once you arrive here.” Leska threatened, she was angry at my mother and I did not understand why. 

“Clarke, they are savages.” 

“Savage?” Leska spoke up before I could. “I am a savage? How interesting for you to say, Doctor Griffin.” Leska turned to me and spoke. “I will allow you to speak to your mother for awhile, but I will require my tent back before we retire for the night. As Heda Kom Skaikru, you are welcome to join me in my tent.” Lexa turned away from the radio and made her way to the opposite side of the tent just barely inside earshot. Her and Kiran must know something about my mother that even I didn’t know. 

“Savage mom? Really? You’re one to talk, after what you did to dad. Don’t speak to me until you can respect the woman I… the woman I am attracted to.” I admitted, my attraction to Leska now vocalized. 

The look on my mother’s face went from slightly hostile, to completely angry. “You what?” 

“Raven, shut it down. I am not dealing with this right now. Set it up in my tent, I will stay with Heda Leska tonight.” Before my mother could speak up, Raven had shut the radio off and began to dismantle it. Raven quickly made her way with the parts out of the tent, leaving Leska and I alone; Anya, Lincoln and Octavia having disappeared sometime between the beginning of the conversation and now. 

“Heda, I apologize for what she said to you and about you.” I offered, bowing my head slightly to her. 

She stood straight up, looking me over. “You apologize for something your mother believes, when you know she will not apologize for herself.” Her words were soft, almost caring. 

“She was rude and she should not have said what she said. Her animosity to Kiran is unknown to me.”

“Did you mean what you said? You are attracted to me?” Her eyes met mine and I could see something lingering behind them. 

“Yes.” I admitted, my voice shaking slightly. “I don’t truly understand what I feel, but I am drawn to you, attracted to you. I cannot describe it, Heda Leska.” 

“Just Leska.” She offered; a rare smile on her lips, which made my heart flutter. “When it is just you and I, call me Leska.” 

I returned her smile, stepping slightly closer to her. She welcomed the movement, widening her stance slightly and leaning backwards against the table behind her. 

“You return that attraction?” I questioned, I was nearly pressed against her at this point, trapping her between me and the table. 

She didn’t answer, she merely leaned forward and captured my lips. The kiss was brief, but it left me electrified. When she pulled away, I nearly followed her. 

“I do return that attraction, Klark, but I will wait for you to be sure what you feel for me.” She whispered, slipping away from me. “You can take the bed for the night, I will make a spot on the floor for myself.” 

“Or you can sleep in the bed with me. It seems large enough for us both.” I offered, looking at her. 

“If that is what you wish.” She agreed. 

**Raven:**

It was two days later that Sinclair got back to me with the calculations. They would load the majority of the population into three of the stations, and bring them all down at the same time, aiming for west of Tondisi. They would start the descent the following day and be on the ground by late that day, hopefully in one piece. I relayed all of this to Clarke, who spoke with Heda Leska. The two seemed to be closer than they were the day Clarke spoke with her mom. I wondered what happened between the two, but didn’t feel right to ask. 

“What stations are they using for the majority of the population again?” Clarke asked, sitting comfortably on one of the tables in Heda Leska’s tent. Heda did not seem phased at this action. 

“Alpha, Farm and Mecha. They are the most structurally sound. They are also the largest. They will have a few in Arrow, Tesla and Prison, but those will be super limited as structure is a concern for all of them.” 

“And they are aiming for the West of Tondisi? How far west?” 

“Twenty to thirty miles, at the very closest. We don’t want debris to rain down on us here.” I advised. 

“Great. Heda Leska, how does that sound to you?” 

Heda Leska looked at the two of us and nodded. “There is land open west of Tondisi, claimed by Trikru that I would be willing to trade to Skaikru once terms have been established.” 

“Sounds great.” Clarke smiled brightly at Heda. There was definitely something there. 

“Clarke… your mom…” 

“No. Whatever it is she said. No.” Clarke’s smile dropped and she spun her head to look at me. “Unless her words were, ‘I want to apologize to Heda Leska.’ I don’t care.” 

“She wanted me to tell you that she will be in Alpha Station.” I continued on, knowing that deep down, Clarke would want to know. 

“That’s fine.” 

**Clarke:**

It was Arkfall day. They had already started the process of decoupling from the Geo-Sci Ring. Sinclair had said just before the radio went dark that the arm would take 30 to 45 minutes to actually land, making those of us on the ground, just playing the waiting game. Scouts kept their eyes on the sky, only to scream out a few hours into the day. The pieces of the Ark had finally arrived. Two exploded in the air, their obliterated pieces burning up on reentry. My heart broke as I watched it happen, praying that there was no one aboard those two stations. One station veered far north, disappearing behind the mountains. Another dropped in the mountains themselves, causing a huge dust cloud to appear. The final piece I could see was headed straight for the land we had agreed on. It landed with a large explosion of dirt and smoke. Leska and I looked at each other before sighing. The rest of Skaikru was finally here. 

Leska quickly ordered several healers and warriors to follow Kiran, Raven and myself to the Fallen ark’s location. It took two hours for us to arrive, to find that people were spilling out of the station, Alpha station from what it looked like. I would see my mother sooner than I wanted. 

As we crossed the tree line, I spotted my mother directing people where to go. 

“I hope you are prepared for this, Leska.” I spoke softly, not wanting the others to hear me call her not by her title, but only her name. I caught Kiran’s eye as she stood closest to us. She laughed softly to herself, arching her eyebrow at me. She did not speak. 

“HALT!” A voice called out from the gathered people at the station. “IDENTIFY!” 

“Clarke Griffin, Raven Reyes, Kiran Snyder.” I yelled back, walking forward. It seems my name alone had my mom’s attention on me. 

“CLARKE!” She forgot the person she was helping to race over to me. As she got within a few feet from me, she skidded to a stop, spotting Leska and Kiran at my side. “Clarke, you’re home.” 

I sighed. “Welcome to Earth. This is Heda Leska, or Commander Lexa, She has agreed to a few things, if you meet her stipulations.” 

“Commander.” The word seemed to be spit out. “Clarke can I speak with you alone?” 

“No. Anything you need to say to me, can be said in front of Kiran and Heda Leska at the very least.” I responded. “Heda Leska has healers on standby to help, and warriors for protection and hunting. She is offering her help at this time. Do you accept this help or shall Heda Leska, her warriors and I go back to the village and leave you to it?” 

My mother’s face was bright red in anger. “I accept.” 

“Tell the guards to stand down. The warriors will take care of protection. Collect the guns and lock them up. They will not be needed at this time.” I order, nodding to Leska. “Once the guns have been locked up, Heda Leska will have the warriors create a barricade and go hunting for food. The Healers will come help you take care of the injured. A group of Warriors, led by Octavia is headed for the other station that landed close by.” 

“Major Burne!” Mother called, the lead guard immediately came over. “Collect all weapons and lock them in the armory. We will be protected by the Grounders.” 

Burne looked at my mother like she lost all common sense; but did not argue. She collected all rifles, locked them in an armory chest and reported back. It took about ten minutes, which was surprising.

“All completed, Chancellor Griffin.” 

My head spun at her title. “Chancellor? Where is Jaha?” 

“He stayed on Geo-Sci, someone had to stay. He felt it was his responsibility.” 

“What about Wells?” I asked, my heart breaking for the boy. He had lost his mother a few years back, and now his father chose to stay in space. Mother didn’t have an answer for that. 

“Chancellor Griffin, my warriors will be making a barrier around your camp. They will be there to protect your people. Please advise your people to leave them to their jobs. The hunters will return close to sundown, with food for everyone, I will need a rough count of how many survive. The Fisa… Healers will meet with you in a few minutes. Although we have different ways of healing, as Clarke has explained to me, they will assist in your way if they are able.” Leska spoke up, before placing her hand on my lower back and leading me, back towards the treeline. We did not get far before Kiran screamed. All eyes were on her, for a moment before she ran past me and into the treeline. “Klarke, stick with Indra, I will find out what happened.” 

Leska disappeared into the treeline, hot on Kiran’s trail. 

**Kiran:**

My mind was running away with me. He survived… and was here… on earth… with the Alpha Station Survivors. I didn’t even notice that I was the one that screamed. Once it hit me, I raced from the area and disappeared into the trees. I kept running, not paying attention to where I was going. It was only the voice calling out to me that got me to stop. 

“KIRAN.” Leska’s voice clicked in my head. I stopped, throwing myself against a tree. I felt my shoulder pop and the pain race through my body. “Kiran, please. What happened?” 

“He’s here.” I whispered, my voice shaking heavily. “He’s one of the guards that is walking around back there.”

“The abuser? He is back there in the clearing?” 

I nodded, not trusting my voice to actually work. 

“Will you show me who? He will face justice, Kiran. I promised you that. He will face justice before a treaty can be signed.” 

My heart pounded in my chest as I thought about what that would mean. The man would be punished for what he did, but then everyone would know. Mako would find out, she would leave me. 

“Kiran, what he did to you was wrong. You deserve justice. You would be protecting any of his future victims.” 

That caught my attention. “Will I be required to tell everyone what happened?” 

“No, I will announce his crimes, but not say who is the victim. I promise you, that you will be protected, and he will be punished.” She offered her hand to me. 

I took it, in a warrior’s grasp. She gently shook her head, pulling me gently into a hug. I sank into her arms and took a moment to calm myself. 

“Mochof, Heda.” I whispered, pulling away. She smiled at me softly before her mask fell back into place. 

“Come, we must advise Clarke that there is a problem with the treaty. His death will welcome Skaikru into a treaty.” She started to walk back but stopped after a few steps. “The Chancellor is the one that tortured you as well, isn’t she?” 

I nodded. “She is. But she is also the only fully trained surgeon that Skaikru has.” 

“She will be punished as well, we will think of something.” 

With a nod, the two of us headed back to the clearing. Clarke looked at the two of us as we came up beside her. 

“Everything ok?” 

“To be honest, no. There is justice to be served before I will allow a treaty.” Leska spoke, her voice hard. “Call the chancellor over. We must discuss things.” Indra nodded, sending one of the seconds over to the doc. She walked up a few minutes later, slightly bloody. 

“What.” 

“Before a treaty can be agreed upon, you will turn over the one you call Keith. He is a warrior of yours.” Leska’s voice left no argument. 

“You want us to turn over one of our guards… just because you said so?” 

“You will turn him over, or you will die. It is a simple choice. One or all.” Leska let the words sink in, walking away from all of us. Clarke looked at me for a moment before following. I looked at the doc and shook my head, before running to catch up to Clarke. She would need to reset my shoulder. 

\-----------------------

  
  



	19. Planning a War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Plan is formed and No one is happy with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> work is killing me but I love you guys. please bear with me. I'm working hard on the other two stories as well. plus i have a handful of other stories too.

**Clarke:**

I stood at the war table, looking at the diagram of where everyone was, and I sighed. My mother had for a moment refused to turn over the guardsman, but the threat of complete destruction forced her hand. 

Kiran and Mako stood side by side speaking quietly to each other as Lexa talked with one of her many generals. As the tent flap opened once more, Lexa looked around and nodded. 

“We begin now.” All eyes were on her as she called everyone to focus. 

“Ideas?” 

“We need an inside man. Someone that can shut the fog off. A Skaikru can do that.” I offered, looking at Lexa. 

“Relying on one man is not a plan, it's a foolish dream.” one of the generals spoke up, venom in his voice. “We should just storm the Mountain.” 

“And when the Acid Fog descends and kills you all?” Kiran spoke up. The general didn’t speak. “That’s what I thought, now sit down, the adults are talking.” 

“You stupid Skaigada.” 

Kiran turned to face the man, standing as tall as she could, looking the man in his eyes. Her hand leveled with his chest, partially blocked by her own body, but I could see something forming in her hand. It looked like a gray cloud, warping pulsing just above her palm. 

“You boy, need to learn some respect. Should you learn it by my hand… or by Heda’s? If she feels you don’t need it, I would be happy to take you on, to the death.” Kiran’s voice was hard as steel, the cloud in her hand just growing denser and larger. 

“You dare challenge me? You will not survive.” The general growled, looking at Heda. “A challenge has been issued.” 

“So it has, Kiran, are you positive you wish to do this?” Lexa asked, her face impassive but her eyes showing concern. 

“Sha Heda, You will need a new general.” 

Lexa sighed, motioning out the tent flap. The general made his way first, before several others followed. Leaving Kiran, Mako, Lexa and I for last. 

“Kiran, you don’t know how to fight.” I reminded her. 

“Actually, I do. And add to the fact that I can do this.” She held up her hand. “They have Acid Fog, I have acid clouds, among other things. You see, every time I disappeared, I was training. Getting stronger. Mako, May I have a drop?” 

Mako sighed, rolling her eyes and holding up a small vial. “One drop, you idiot, no more than that.” 

Kiran smiled, pressing a kiss to Mako’s forehead and taking the single drop of the vibrant liquid. She shuddered slightly and smirked. “Let’s do this.” 

I kept close to Lexa as we gathered at the training grounds. I was uneasy at the idea of Kiran fighting the mountain of a man, but she seemed to think she had it handled. 

“Clear the field!” Lexa called, and quickly the training fields cleared, everyone forming a large circle around them. “A challenge has been issued and accepted. Kiran Kom Skaikru, Quint Kom Azgeda, to the field.” The two appeared in front of her, Kiran shrugging off her jacket. 

“Love can you hold this for me?” Kiran handed it to Mako, who took the jacket with a sigh. 

“Quint, as the challenged warrior, you will choose the weapons.” Lexa spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. 

“I won’t need weapons.” Quint spoke loudly, laughing at the idea that he would need a weapon to defeat the smaller woman. 

“Do natural talents count as weapons?” Kiran asked, a weird gleam in her eye. Lexa shook her head and looked slightly confused. “Perfect, I accept combat to the death with no weapons.” 

“To the death.” Lexa repeated, motioning for the fighters to take their places. Everyone looked in awe of the two warriors, most already counting for Quint to win. “Begin.”

Kiran paced, her eyes not leaving the larger man. She was waiting for him to attack first. When he finally did, she dodged to the side and landed one strike on his nose. A sick crunch told me it was broken. First blood to Kiran. Quint growled, throwing himself at Kiran once more. She danced out of the way and managed another hit on his stomach, not affecting him much. She looked towards Mako, sending her a smirk, distracted enough not to notice Quint swinging at her head. The sound of his fist meeting her temple had me flinching. There was no way she would survive this fight. 

“FOCUS DAMN IT.” Mako called out, wringing her hands in front of her. “She’s gonna fucking showboat until he actually kills her.” 

Her words hurt deeply. The idea that Kiran may die today hit me full force. My heart jumped into my throat and broke at the same time. Losing her would completely destroy me. A gasp from Mako had me looking at her, her eyes were locked on the pair. Indra quickly wrapped her arms around Mako to keep her from launching herself forward. I quickly focused back on Kiran, to find her under Quint, his fists landing heavily on her face. A silver fluid poured from her nose and mouth, but where was her blood? Not a single drop of red was seen outside of Quint’s face. 

“Kiran!” I yelled, terrified at what I was seeing. 

Before anyone could step in, Quint’s arms stopped moving as his body slumped slightly. He let out a god-awful scream and fell off of her to the left. His stomach was blistered and bloody, as if he had been melted. I could see wisps of gray smoke dissolving around the two. 

Lexa signaled for the fight to end. Mako pulled free of Indra and went to Kiran’s side. I couldn’t hear what was said between the two, but a harsh smack across Kiran’s face, told me that Mako was not happy about what just happened. Nyko appeared at Quint’s side, checked him over for a moment, before looking at Lexa. 

“Quint is dead.” He called, his voice carrying over the crowd. 

“See to Kiran, the War Council will meet again in two candlemarks.” Lexa nodded and turned to me. “Klark, join me for Sanch. We have much to discuss.” 

\----------

**Kiran:**

“Nyko, seriously, I’ll be fine. I just need to make sure everything is set correctly and I will heal just fine and fast.” I argued, looking at the man. “I can survive just about anything.” 

“I swear to the Goddess, Kiran Alexandria Snyder, Shut the hell up and let him fix you.” Mako snapped, sending her death glare at me. I snapped my jaw shut and nodded, knowing better than to argue with her. 

“I have treated warriors of both bloods, red and black. You are unique.” He said, looking at me in wonder. “Silver, Goddess, you are the only one that has her blood.” 

Mako turned to him and leveled her gaze. “Nyko, you will not speak of this to anyone but Heda.” 

Nyko nodded and fell silent. It took an hour to get every bone straightened and the blood cleared. He finished with the clean up, only to be shocked that the smaller cuts had already healed. 

“I told you, I heal fast.” Was all I could say before Mako once again glared at me. 

“If you are finished with her, Nyko, we are needed in the war tent.” 

“She is free to go, let me know if you need anything for pain.” He stepped away and busied himself with cleaning up the various cloth that he had used. 

I stood and stretched. A soft groan filled my chest as I felt the bones in my face adjust slightly. I quietly followed Mako out of the healers tent and over to the kitchen area. Mako grabbed two small trays of food and we made our way over to the war tent. We slipped into the tent and took a seat off to the side of the area. The other generals began to gather, as we finished eating in silence. Taking the two now empty trays to one of the guards outside, Mako and I made our way to our spot at the war table. 

“While I don’t typically agree with Quint, I have to agree at this time. Waiting on one man, is not a plan we should be putting all of our hope on. We need a better plan.” Lexa spoke up, calling the meeting to begin. 

Several voices began to speak at the same time, before I got an idea. I looked at Mako for a moment, knowing what was going through my mind could hurt her alot. I leaned over to her and whispered in her ear. 

“I love you, now and forever.” 

She looked at me in question, before whispering back. “I love you, always and eternal.” 

I stepped forward to the table and slammed my hands down. It got everyone’s attention. “I have an idea.” I looked at Lexa, waiting for her permission to speak. She nodded and I took a breath. 

“As Clarke said, we need someone that can work tech, to get in and shut down the acid fog. As an engineer, both electronic and mechanical, I’ll do it. I let them take me into the mountain. I will find the acid fog, turn it off and find a way for you to bring the Army into the mountain. It’s simple, clean, and mostly safe.” 

“Safe?” Clarke spoke up looking at me with terror in her eyes. “You think you will be safe?” 

“All I have to do is not get caught.” I shrugged. “Look, it's a risk and I understand that. I accept that risk. I am the one person that you as leaders can trust on this. I’ll survive it.” 

I could feel Mako shaking next to me, but I wouldn’t be able to tell if that was in anger or fear without looking at her. I was desperately keeping my gaze away from her, knowing that if I did see fear, I would not be able to leave her side. 

Lexa took the argument into consideration, as she looked at me. After a moment, she nodded. “You have limited time before we figure something else out.” 

I took that to mean I was dismissed, I lowered my head in a slight bow and took my leave. Heading over to my tent, I slipped in and grabbed a few things. Packing my pockets with my needed supplies, I made my way to the camp edge. Turning to face the camp one last time, I caught sight of Mako, coming up to me quickly. I waited, knowing that we needed to talk before I disappeared into the Mountain. 

“I swear to the goddess you will be the death of me. Do you understand what you just committed yourself to? What those savages inside the mountain could do to you?” She demanded her hands balled up in fists at her sides. “I just got you back, Kiran. Do you not even care? Do you want to throw your life away?”

“Mako, I love you, I will always love you. I will always be with you, regardless of where I go. Just as you are with me. But our people need me. Lexa’s army can't get close to the mountain without someone going inside. They can’t hurt me, you know that. We survived a nuke, Mako. If I can survive that, I can survive just about anything else.” I pulled her into my body and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “The only thing I can’t survive is you not loving me. With all my heart and soul, you are my everything.” 

I could feel her shoulders start to shake. I knew that she was crying. She had been strong for so long and to be here when she crumbles, to be the reason she crumbles broke my heart. 

“I’ll be gone just a little while. I promise, the moment I can, I will be back.” 

“Don’t leave me. Kiran… please rethink this.” She begged, her voice quivering. 

“Just a few days, love. I swear it.” 

Looking up, I spotted Clarke walking towards us. I waved her over quicker and pulled Mako closer to me. Clarke was nearly upon us when I spoke again. 

“Clarke is gonna stay with you, until I get back.” 

Letting Clarke take Mako away from me, I nodded to her and brushed my own tears away. I let the sounds of camp fall away as I made my way towards the mountain. I had no idea how I was going to get in, but I would figure that out. After all I had a hell of a hike in front of me. 

\-------------------------------------


	20. Attack On Mount Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiran infiltrates the Moutain, a plan is put into place, A deal is made, and all hell breaks loose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, sorry for my way late uploads. Work has been all kinds of hell, With the holidays coming up, means visits to and from family (I am OH SO Excited about, can you tell?) I've got the next 5 chapters nearly fully planned, I just need to actually sit down and write them. 
> 
> This is a monster of a chapter, nearly double my normal chapter lenght.

**Kiran:**

It didn't take long from leaving the village, that I got picked up by a Mount Weather security detail in hazmat suits. I made up a bullshit story about being captured by the savages and being forced to help them with the kidnap of the rest of my companions in the Ark. They seemed to buy it. I was led to the decontamination chamber, where I pulled my natural radiation back as best as I could. It felt forgein to hold it back, it had become such a large part of who I had become since landing back here on the ground. 

“We will need a blood sample.” one of the medics said as they pulled me into medical. 

“Just a warning, I was born with a genetic abnormality, my blood isn’t normal. I don’t even have a blood type.” I warned, looking at the man. 

“Don’t worry about the blood, Jason.” a female doctor spoke up as she came into the room. I got a serious Dr. Walters vibe from this woman. The two of those psychos would be perfect for each other. “Did they tell you what abnormality you had?” 

“Iron and B12 Anemia for sure, but it was a super long and complicated name that I don't really remember. GUS… MyGus? Something like that.” 

“MGUS?” 

“That one!” I said, keeping my face as straight as possible. 

“Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance.” She looked at me for a while in silence, before nodding. “Any history of cancer?” 

“Not that I am aware of.” Shrugging, I watched as she tried to work out a few things in her head. 

“Ok, this guard is going to take you over to the mess hall, for dinner.” She motioned for a guard to escort me. With a wave I left the room with the guard. 

“Welcome to Mount Weather, I’m sure you will find yourself more at home here than out there with those savages.” The guard, Lovejoy by his nametag, said. 

I kept quiet, making a map of the area in my head. I would need to draw it out soon, before I began to forget the smaller details. Lovejoy dropped me in the mess hall and disappeared two hallways down. 

I spotted several of The 100 kids sitting at a table. They caught sight of me and began to talk quietly among themselves. I sat across from Monty and Jasper, shaking my head slightly at the two. 

“Kiran what are you doing here?” Monty asked quietly, taking a bite of his dinner. 

“Clarke has a plan, I am the beginning of that plan. We can talk later.” I answered, grabbing for a roll. Speaking loudly, I laughed as if someone had said a joke. “So they have real food here?” 

  
  


**Mako:**

It had only been a few hours since Kiran had allowed herself to be captured. My heart had broken as the scouts came back without her, stating that she had been taken as planned. I withdrew to my tent and sat, staring at the small pouch that I normally kept hidden next to my heart. Inside the pouch was her old unit patch and one of her dog tags, the parts of her that I had kept when she was taken from me the first time. 

Somehow in the next few hours I slipped into an uneasy sleep. 

**_NIGHTMARE BEGIN_ **

_ I watched as the needle pierced Kiran’s skin, her body going lifeless in seconds, my heart breaking. They pulled her away from me before I could say goodbye. The faceless guards had her in their arms and I could only scream. Closer and closer to the door, they drag her body, my heart dropping faster than a stone in water. The door shifted from a metal bunker door to a giant cave with a solid steel door, lit by only the overhead emergency strobe. Her body still limp, but her eyes open and staring at me as if begging for my help.  _

_ “Not Kiran… please. Take me instead. Please.”  _

_ Their old army uniforms turned to hazmat suits, their faces covered by the hoods. My heart dropped, as I screamed her name one last time before the door shut.  _

  
  


**Clarke:**

I heard muffled yelling from the tent next door, but I shook my head and laid back down. It wasn’t until I heard Kiran’s name being screamed at the top of someone’s lungs that jumped from my cot and went to investigate. I looked into Mako’s tent. She was sitting straight up, body stiff, screaming. I went to her side, sitting down on the edge of her furs. 

“Mako… Mako…” 

The woman’s eyes snapped open, flicking around the tent trying to find something. When her eyes settled on me, I watched the frown deepen as she took a deep breath. 

“Miss Griffin, what are you doing in my tent?” Her voice was soft, but there was a hard edge to it. 

“You… you were screaming for Kiran.” I answered, running a hand through my hair. “I know you two are close, and I know that she loves you so much.” She glared at me for a moment before her glare eased. She patted the cot next to her, indicating I should sit down. I made my way over, kicking off my boots and sitting down across from her. “She talks about you all the time. The stories I’ve heard of you two growing up.” 

I watched as she calmed a bit. 

“I swear she instigated most of our stories. We met in primary school, did she tell you that?” 

I nodded, smiling. “She said that you protected her from a bully, and she promised right there and then to protect you from everything else in life.” I watched as joy returned to her eyes. “She also told me that you beat the hell out of a kid who punched her in the face in 6th grade.” 

“She swung on my best friend, why wouldn’t I protect her.” She countered, looking at me, her eyes distracted by something. Her eyes latched on to my wrist and her eyes went wide. “That…. Where did you get that watch?” 

I looked at my father’s watch and shrugged. “It’s my father’s watch, he gave it to me before he was killed. His father gave it to him, and so on back to the original Griffins.” I pulled it off and smiled. “There’s an inscription on it, but I can’t read it. It’s not in traditional English.” 

“Kom Yu, Hodnes otaim laik ai bos uf.” she muttered, as if reading it, but she never saw the letters. 

“How did you know that?” I asked, looking at the inscription.

“I gave that to Kiran on our third anniversary.” She answered. I handed her the watch and watched as she went over the inscription with her thumb. “I said these words to her on our one year anniversary. I love her more than anything else.” 

“What does it say?” 

“With you, love is always my greatest strength.” 

We talked for hours about the watch and the two of them growing up. I knew that it would help her to talk everything out to distract her from her worry. 

  
  


**Kiran:**

I had been in the Mountain for a few days, before I realized exactly what the mountain men were doing to the Trikru. They were draining them for their blood, blood transplants to cure radiation poisoning. They had turned to the trapped sky kids. Based on what I could hear from the various security guards, the blood of the sky kids worked a hell of a lot better than the Grounder blood. I’d have to do something soon, knowing that it was a matter of time before they actually tried to take mine, despite my ‘abnormality’. I knew I had to find a way to drop the acid fog, that was the whole reason I was in here. I had already found the room I needed to go to, it was just a matter of finding a way to that room. 

“Jasper, who’s that chick you are drooling over.” I asked, looking at the boy. 

“Maya.” He answered, his eyes fogged over with infatuation. “She’s beautiful!” 

“That she is. You think she would help us get out of here?” I asked, whispering at this point. 

“Probably.” 

I nodded, making a note to myself. The boys had gotten a hold of a radio, and we managed to get in contact with Clarke outside the mountain. I advised her that I would signal when the acid fog was down. I told Clarke to tell Mako that I love her greatly, to which she agreed. 

I managed to get Maya alone a day later, on a walk inside the tomb that these people had called home since the bombs fell. She pulled me into a side storage room and locked the door quickly. 

“You said you needed help finding something specific?” She asked, looking at me. 

“Yeah, I need to find tanks, big ones. They would be steel, probably protected or in a room that the general population would not know of.” 

“I know the place, I can get you to the door. I won't be able to open it, but once you are inside, you’re on your own. I can’t go inside.” She answered, frowning.

“I can get myself in, I can get myself out, what I need is directions to GET there.” 

She nodded, but before she was able to actually speak, the lock turned and I had to think fast. I pulled her close to me, wrapped my arms around her waist, whispered a quick ‘trust me’ and pressed a kiss to her lips. The door opened causing me to pull back from her and staring at the visitor. 

“Can I help you?” I asked, my arms still around Maya’s waist. 

“What are you kids doing in here?” The guard spoke up, glaring at me. 

I took a breath, pressing a kiss to Maya’s cheek, and letting her go. “I’m down for another closet meeting, but I don’t like being watched. Find me when you wanna hook up again.” With a wink, I slipped past the guard and walked back to the dorms. I quickly let Jasper know what happened, who was not happy about it but understood. 

“Jas, look, my girl is out there with Clarke… We got caught talking, it was the only idea that popped into my head. I will let you know, she’s damn good at kissing.” 

Jasper punched me for that comment, but we ended up laughing at everything. We put the plan in place, to be executed just after midnight that night. Maya came to get me just after midnight, a small tool bag slung over her shoulder. We made it to the door to the tank room, the door locked with a simple key lock. 

“Oh this will be a piece of cake.” I took the tool bag from her and grabbed what I needed. As I worked the lock a bit, I spoke softly to Maya. “So, sorry about kissing you. It was the first thing that came to my mind. Pretty sure my girlfriend is going to kick my ass for that.” 

“I was wondering which one of us was going to talk about it first.” She whispered back, leaning against the wall. “I only think of you as a friend, I’ve got my eye on…” 

“Jasper.” We said together, before falling into a laughing fit. It was as the giggles subsided that the door popped open and an automatic light flicked on. 

“You gather the supporters that you can and get them into a decon room. Keep them there, Maya. I’m on my own from here.” I said, standing and offering her my hand, which she took. “Thank you for the help.” 

“Be careful.” I watched as she disappeared around the corner. “Alright Snyder, lets go.” I pressed open the door just enough for me to slide into the room and close it once more. To my left were four giant tanks, the silver of the steel glinting in the fluorescent lights above them. I spotted a console and smirked. It couldn’t be that easy. I made my way over and found exactly what I was looking for. I quickly neutralized the acid. I knew that once the security people realized that I had messed with the acid fog, they would override my commands. Thinking quickly, I opened up a command prompt and began typing away, creating a trigger program that would lock down the console. It would answer only to me. With the final command in, I executed the new program and smirked. Pulling out the radio Maya had stuffed into the small tool bag. 

“Clarke?” I called into the radio. 

“This is Clarke.” her voice answered. 

“The Veil is down. I repeat, the veil is down.” I gave the signal to her, knowing she would know what to do next. “I’ll see you on the other side.” 

“On the other side.” She repeats before I turn off the radio. I had a plan to complete. I knew that by this time, nearly one am at this point, Maya had gathered at least some of the supporters into the decon room. It would keep them safe. I quickly made my way back to the dorms, not a soul in sight. 

  
  


**Clarke:**

“The Veil is down. I repeat, the veil is down.” Kiran’s voice echoed in the quiet tent. “I’ll see you on the other side.” 

“On the other side.” I went to say something else, but the radio clicked, indicating that the other side had been turned off. 

I looked to Lexa and Mako and they nodded. Lexa quickly disappeared to order the warriors to begin making their way to the mountain. Mako on the other hand, sat down on a chair and pulled out a small vial of glowing liquid. She stared at the vial intently. 

“Mako?”

“Kiran will need this. She’s been weakened by the decontamination process, and she’s been too long without a refill.” She said softly, uncorking the vial and taking three drops from the vial. Her eyes began to glow brightly as she stood up. She quickly corked the vial once more and put it into one of her inner pockets. “We should go.” 

As she passed me to the door, I felt the air around her heat up rather quickly, almost as if she were radiating an enormous amount of energy. I didn’t question what the liquid was or why she just drank it. I followed her out of the tent and we made our way to where Lexa was waiting. The march to the mountain took an hour at most. Mako and I set up near the main door, waiting for the next signal. 

The door opened revealing two men, in body armor, stepped out. What shocked most gathered as that they had no protective gear. They had cured themselves, somehow. 

“WE HAVE A MESSAGE FOR THE COMMANDER!” 

Lexa stood tall and walked forward. “I am Heda Lexa.” The two men got closer to Lexa, whispering between the three of them, before Lexa grabbed the smaller one and thrust her dagger into his throat, the other man looking on in horror. The surviving man was grabbed from behind and tossed to a few grounders. They carried the man away as he screamed. 

“Clarke, please use this to contact their boss. I will not be taking the deal issued to me.” Lexa handed me a radio that was making a lot of noise. 

“Ground team respond!” 

“This is Clarke Griffin, the ground team cannot answer at the moment, can I take a message?” I chirped as Mako looked at me with utter glee in her eyes. “Who is this?” 

“Griffin… where is my team?” 

“Dunno. They kinda just handed me a radio and you started talking to me. You still haven't said who you are.” I shrugged, knowing the person on the other end couldn't see me. 

“President Cage Wallace. Where is the Grounder Commander?” 

I looked at Lexa and pressed the button, before nodding to her. 

“This is Heda Lexa… You are the one that offered me the deal, my people for all of Skaikru?” Lexa spoke up, and my heart nearly stopped at her words. 

“Yes. You can have your currently captured warriors, if you turn over every Arker.”

“Release my warriors Cage. You will not win this.” She warned, not bothering to discuss the deal at all. Her eyes locked with mine and I could see them flick side to side, as if signaling to me that she would not take it. 

“Take the deal or die.” Cage continued, his voice becoming more and more agitated. 

“OK, I’ll take the deal, give me my warriors.” Lexa said, a smirk on her face. It took me a second to understand that she understood something that he seemed to forget. 

  
  


**Lexa:**

_ “He seems to have forgotten, I can take the deal… Once my warriors are out, he never said we had to leave. We get my warriors and as they go back inside, we rush the door. It gets us inside.”  _ I looked at Mako, and saw the look on her face. She was about to start laughing.  _ “Mako I need you to lead the way inside, you can easily dispose of the guards.”  _

_ “Sha Heda.”  _ Mako answered, before pulling Clarke closer to her. She whispered the plan into Clarke’s ear. As the plan unfolded in her head, she went from upset to quite entertained. 

“Glad to see even a savage can be reasoned with. You will meet my guards at the cave doors.” 

“Agreed.” I shook my head, indicating that I was finished talking to the man. “Lincoln!” 

The young scout came over and knelt next to me. “Sha Heda?” 

“Leave half a unit here, in case they are watching. The rest comes with me, hidden as best as they can. We are going into the mountain.” 

“Sha Heda!” 

With that, I grabbed Clarke’s hand and followed Mako over to the cave entrance of the Mountain. Our fingers tangled together, and I could feel my heart race at the contact. I knew after all this was over, I would be asking Clarke to be mine. 

The door opened, and my injured warriors began to stream out. Mako, using the chaos of the exit, grabbed the door and held it open. The final warrior crossed the threshold and I saw her duck in, taking out the two guards instantly. Their bodies dropped to the ground before anyone could realize they were even dead. 

“Heda, you and Clarke should find your way to the command room, that way you can organize everyone as needed.” Mako spoke up, as she turned back to us. “I will find Kiran and prepare to finish this. By your command.” 

“Be safe, Mako.” Clarke echoed my thoughts exactly. 

“Keep your spirit where it is, Leska, you are needed. And Clarke, Kiran would be destroyed if something happened to you.” Mako said, looking at each of us before she disappeared around a corner. She seemed to be able to find her own way to where she needed to be. 

We made our way to the command center and with little bloodshed, quickly took control. I watched as fight after fight took over each monitor on the wall. It was as I caught sight of Kiran that I began to worry. She was surrounded by at least 15 soldiers. Looking rather winded, she held her hands up as if surrendering. 

Clarke looked terrified at what was happening. I put a hand on her shoulder and pointed to a new figure in the scene. Mako had found Kiran quickly and was taking a look at what was going on. Mako quietly took out two of the men before the others realized she was there. She managed to take another two out, before I saw something being tossed at Kiran. She quickly caught it and smirked. She drank whatever was held in the tiny container. I could see a glow begin to emit from her eyes. 

“What was that?” I asked, looking to Clarke for an answer. 

“I don’t know. Mako took some before we left your tent earlier. Her eyes started to glow. She mentioned that whatever it was, Kiran needed it.” 

I nodded, watching the scene unfold. The two, now working in sync with each other, had taken care of all of the soldiers near them. Kiran pulled Mako into a tight hug, her mouth moved but we could not hear what was said. Mako smacked the back of Kiran’s head and shook her own. Kiran grabbed one of the radios the guards dropped. 

“This is Kiran, Command can you hear me?” 

“Kiran. It’s good to see you are doing alright.” Clarke answered, looking closer at the monitor. 

“The innocent have been locked into a decon chamber, everyone outside of it, is fair game.” Kiran spoke up, looking into the camera nearest to her. “What do you want us to do?” 

Clarke looked at me for a moment and took a deep breath. “End it. Quickly.” 

“By your Command!” Kiran answered, before looking at Mako and nodding. The two took a moment to collect themselves, before facing each other and stretching out their arms. The cameras near them went dead, as did each camera in succession, in a ring from them. Whatever they were doing, it seemed to be working as just before each camera cut out, the mountain men fell to the ground, pain evident on their faces. 

It took nearly ten full minutes before the door to the command center opened, revealing Kiran and Mako, supporting each other. 

“By Your Command.” Kiran echoed again, looking at Clarke. “The Mountain has fallen.” With this, she blinked a few times before slouching to the floor, taking a nearly unconscious Mako with her. 

Clarke looked at the two women, both near exhaustion, and flinched. She realized at that moment that people were dead, because she ordered it. This was a burden I would shoulder with her. 

“The two of you make your way to Abby…” I began to speak up before Mako put her hand up. 

She held up a small vial of glowing liquid. “Brought back up, give us a second. Kir… open up.” 

Kiran followed directions, opening her mouth, allowing two drops of the liquid to fall into it. Kiran’s body seems to vibrate for a moment before standing up, not even looking out of breath. Mako followed shortly after, a bright smile on her face. The recovery of the two was nearly impossible, but I kept silent. 

“Kiran…” Clarke’s voice cracked slightly as she spoke. Kiran looked at the blonde and sighed. I could see the emotions run across the taller woman’s face, before she pulled Clarke into a tight hug. 

“It’s ok, Clarkie. What happened needed to be done, I swear it. I never would have let you make that call, if I thought it was the wrong one. We saved the innocents, blood has had blood. It’s gonna be ok.” Kiran’s words echoed in the near silent room. 

“Heda!” Artigas quickly ran into the room, sliding to a stop a few feet from me. “The warriors have gathered awaiting word.” 

“Tell them that SkaiHeda and I will be out soon.” I answered, waving him out the door. I turned to Clarke and smiled. “It’s time.” 

It took nearly ten minutes to walk from the command center to the door of the Mountain. The journey was filled with bodies, both Coalition and Mountain. Clarke’s eyes went from dead face to dead face, as if memorizing each of them. As we approached the gathered crowd of warriors, Clarke paled. 

“Clarke, you can do this.” Kiran stepped up to her other side. “Every choice you have made, has been for your people, for all of the Coalition. You are a hero.” 

“She is right, Clarke. Once it is known what happened, you will be considered a hero.” 

“I didn’t do anything.” Clarke argued, looking at all of us. 

“It was by your command, Clarke. You are the general that made the decision.” Mako spoke up, looking at Clarke. “We merely followed orders, but understand this. They were the correct orders.” 

The four of us stopped in front of the crowd and they quieted instantly. 

“Warriors of the Coalition and Allies of Skaikru!” I spoke up, raising my hand to stop the coming roar of the warriors. “After Generations of fear and threats, generations of fighting, Thanks to SkaiHeda and her kru, The Mountain Has Fallen.” 

There was no way to stop the roar that followed, so I allowed it. Once it calmed down, I spoke again. “With the fall of our greatest enemy, we welcome Skaikru into the Coalition after the Equinox, for now, return to your staging villages to begin the celebration and the Equinox. For those preparing for Bonding, may the night bring you happiness and a bond for this life and the next.” 

As we turned away from the crowd I could hear chants of ‘Wanheda’ echoing, and the look on both Kiran and Mako’s faces told me they understood too. Clarke had a new title; one we would need to break to her quickly and gently. I lead Clarke, Kiran and Mako back towards TonDC where we would be spending the Equinox. 

\------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK! Welcome back - just a heads up. the next chapter is going to be called a HALF CHAPTER... so it's 20.5 rather than 21. It will be mostly a filler chapter explaining for the reader's, and certain characters, benefits what happens during a bonding ceremony. Chapters 21-24 are all the various bondings, each chapter will be said which pairing it will be. 
> 
> Hope you are enjoying and please bear with me on uploading schedule. <3  
> -Lok


	21. Who is Wanheda and What is Bonding?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Half Chapter - Clarke finds out what Wanheda means... and exactly what Bonding is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good afternoon humans and non humans alike. This will be my last post before Thanksgiving (November 26th) I will be going to my mom's place for the holiday and will not be home until Monday the 30th. 
> 
> The next 4 Chapters are gonna be BONDING chapters, so mostly short.

**Clarke:**

I could tell by the looks I was getting around the camp and around Ton DC that something had changed in the eyes of the grounders. They had begun to whisper something I couldn’t understand. After nearly a week of these whispers, I finally had had enough. Late one afternoon, I cornered Lexa in her tent. 

“What are they calling me?” I demanded, my hands on my hips. 

She froze in her pacing and stared at me. Holding my gaze for only a moment, before holding up a hand. She poked her head out of the tent and asked for Kiran and Mako to be summoned to her tent. As she came to stand in front of me, she took a breath. 

“It is a conversation I had been putting it off, and yet I know we need to have it. If you will allow it, we can wait for Kiran and Mako to arrive to have it. I feel it would be better to have them here…” Her next comments were cut off as Kiran and Mako arrived. 

“Heda, you called?” Mako spoke up, as she looked between Lexa and I. 

“We walked in on something…” Kiran whispered, her face frozen in an indescribable look. 

“What are they calling me?” I repeated. 

“Oh… it’s that conversation.” Kiran fell silent, wrapping her arm around Mako’s shoulders. 

Lexa motioned for us all to sit down around the central table. Once we had settled, Lexa looked to Mako to speak first. 

“You know that Kiran and I created the Trigeda language. I taught the Trikru the language when Kiran was up in the Ark with you.” She went on to explain that in her years of being considered a goddess that lore had been created to go with the language. The story of Heda and Wanheda being the strongest of these stories. “Heda, Lexa as you know her, is the strongest warrior, the leader of the army. Her counter, most of the time seen as her perfect soul match, is Wanheda. The definition is rather dark, but she is seen more as a shield, a protector. Where as Heda is the Warrior, Wanheda is the Protector, most of the time a Healer.” 

Lexa nodded once more, shifting in her chair. “The clans believe you are Wanheda, Clarke. They respect you intensely.” 

“What does it mean?” I asked once more. 

“Commander of Death.” Kiran spoke up looking at the floor. “But Like Hades in Greek culture, you are more of a protector of the dead, a guide to paradise rather than an omen of death.” 

“Commander of Death?” I echoed, the words not feeling real. “They praise me for ordering the two of you to kill the mountain.” 

“They praise you for having the strength to fight and conquer their greatest enemy, Clarke. You have also given them something that no other Heda has had…” Lexa spoke up, gathering my attention to her. “It has been foretold, even before I was born, that when Heda meets Wanheda again, the clans will enter what they call The Long Peace.” 

“So I am some prophesied being in your culture?” 

“To me? You are far more than that.” Lexa whispered, looking at Mako and Kiran for a brief moment. “With Mako and Kiran as witnesses, Clarke, I have something to ask. I, Leska Kom Trikru en Kongeda, wish to bind myself for life to you, Clarke Griffin Kom Skaikru. Would you allow this bond?” 

My face and neck started to feel flush and my knees almost buckled as I asked. “Did… did you just ask me to marry you?” 

Lexa looked confused and looked to Mako for an answer. 

“Clarke marriage to you and those from the Ark is the old way. You are welcome to it, but it is not what the Trikru do. The Trikru, and all grounders, bond for life. The Fall Equinox is approaching quickly. On this day, our people bond for eternity with their soulmate, their Bonded. It is the day of magic for our people. The bonded pair always come back from this journey changed. A matching mark the two share. I’ve seen some of them. They are rather beautiful.” Mako said, explaining it to me and by the look of it, Kiran as well. 

“The Proposition is real. One’s own soul accepts or declines based on compatibility. I could propose Mako, for example, but it would fail, as we are not compatible. She is a goddess and I am Heda. We do not match.” Lexa explained softly. “If the propositioned one is unbound and compatible, their soul automatically accepts. On the night of the Equinox, the propositioned one will be drawn into the Woods, to a place they’ve never been before. There, they will wait. For only their true soulmate can find them. If they are found, the two would need to be intimate and share a blood letting bite. Once that blood has been shed, the two are bound and the mark appears.”

Mako turned to Kiran and spoke softly. “With Lexa and Clarke as witnesses, it’s my turn to ask. I, Mako Via Kom Trikru, wish to bind myself for life to you, Kiran Snyder Kom Skaikru. Would you allow this bond?”

Kiran looked at Mako with a smile and a light blush. “I accept.” 

“I accept.” I answered without thinking. I felt a warmth in my chest and for the first time in a long time I felt like everything was going to be ok. “When is the Equinox?” 

“Tomorrow Night. We will no doubt not be the only couples to make this commitment. I have seen your Raven speaking quietly with Anya. Lincoln will no doubt ask Octavia. That is not even taking the Trikru couples that have been waiting since last year. The bond can only be completed on the Fall Equinox.” 

“No one knows why.” Mako answered before anyone could ask. “That is just how it is.” 

Kiran and I nodded. I stepped up to Lexa and opened my arms. I wondered if she would welcome my touch. Lexa looked at me for a moment, before pulling me into her arms and pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. I melted against her and sighed softly. This is where I was meant to be. I looked at Kiran and found her doing the same thing with Mako. 

Maybe the ground would turn out to be close to the paradise we were taught it would be back on the Ark. 

\---------------------------

  
  



	22. Bonds Broken and Bonds Forged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Bonding is upon the characters, and Abby voices her opinion on what's going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for sticking with me on this. i am so glad to update this with an actual chapter. The next four chapters will be uploaded all at the same time. 
> 
> Thanks so much for the well wishes. I am fresh out of the hospital and back to working and writing. 
> 
> -Lok

**Lexa:**

Darkness had begun to set in around camp as the smell of cooking meat permeated the air. I had invited the few I had begun to see as family to dinner in my tent, I knew that the events of tomorrow night needed to be explained in full detail, especially to the Skaikru that would be joining with someone. Lincoln sat quietly talking to Octavia and Clarke, as Raven gently pushed on Anya’s shoulder as she laughed at a joke. Mako and Kiran were nowhere to be seen at the moment but they would most likely be along soon. The two had a habit of disappearing at the oddest times. 

“Lexa.” 

I heard my name being called from the other side of the room. Pulling myself from my thoughts, I looked to the voice and smiled. Mako stood, with Kiran’s arms wrapped around her waist, in the tent opening. Behind her I could see several warriors holding trays of meats and sides. 

“Come in, join us.” 

The two elder warriors made their way over to the rest of the group, as the warriors delivered the food to the table in the center of the tent. They made their way out of the tent. 

Once everyone had their plate and was seated at the table, I looked at Lincoln. The man had become a brother to me over the past few weeks. He locked his eyes with mine and nodded. It was time to explain exactly what would happen the following night. We owed it to our partners to tell them how the day would progress. 

“Lex?” Clarke asked, seeing the look on my face. 

“Lincoln, Anya, Mako and I must explain what will happen tomorrow.” I started, taking a breath. “The draw between two soulmates, it’s ancient magic that is in us all. Tomorrow is the strongest night for this magic. In the months following  Praimfaya, Becca Praimheda found her soulmate among those that survived. When they bonded, Becca had a scar across her face that appeared on her mate’s face as well. Every pair that has bonded since has had the same instance happen the same. A scar or a birthmark is shared between the bonded mates.” 

“And it’s not just a mark or scar.” Lincoln continued. “Mates are linked, lifeblood to lifeblood. When one dies, so does the other. I’ve seen a warrior fall in battle only to learn his mate died in the same instant 5 miles away.” 

I watched the Skaikru’s faces as they learned about the bond between mates. Kiran’s face was particularly interesting. She seemed to be giddy and upset at the same time. I couldn’t tell exactly where the emotions were coming from, but she seemed to revel in the attention that Mako had been pouring on her. It wasn’t long before Kiran seemed to want to ask questions. 

“OK look, I get that this is legend and stuff… but do you think that this is actually real?” Kiran spoke up, flushing slightly. “Mako we’re scientists.” 

“We are also well over 100 years old as well, Kiran. That isn’t possible.” Mako answered, tangling her fingers into Kiran’s hair. “We survived being vaporized by a nuclear warhead’s direct impact.” 

“Sheer luck.” Kiran shook her head. “Ok fine. Science says we should be dead, but shared scars and birthmarks? Simultaneous death?” 

“You believed in Santa Claus until you were 15.” Mako started laughing at the words coming out of her mouth. “Believe in me, believe what I am telling you, that’s all you need to do.” 

Kiran pressed a kiss to Mako’s cheek and smiled. “I’d go through hell and back for you, I have gone through hell and back to get back to you.” 

I took a breath before looking at the gathered family. I could see the pairs sitting close to each other, the love evident on their face. 

“Tomorrow at dusk, I will announce that the bonding has begun. You will feel a draw from deep within yourself. This draw will take you deep into the forest. Your possible bonded will feel a draw to the same place. Once the two have met in the destined place, the elder of the two people will be required to capture the younger. Capture and draw blood through a bite to the pulse point of the neck. The younger will then mirror that with a bite of their own. As savage as it seems, it is the mixing of the blood between the mates that seals the bond itself. Once the blood has been exchanged, the mates will give themselves to each other.” I could feel a slight blush on my face as I thought of Clarke and our bond. My eyes fell on Clarke. Her blue eyes danced in the candlelight as a deeper blush colored her cheeks. 

“Give themselves?” Octavia spoke up, looking at me.

“Have sex. She’s talking about you and Lincoln getting down and dirty.” Raven spoke up, laughing softly. “About us all getting down and dirty with our various partners.” 

“Thank you Rae.” Clarke shook her head, burying her face in her hands. 

“Wait. You said the oldest has to bite first.” Kiran spoke up, frowning. “I’m barely older than Mako, so I have to bite first?” 

“Yes, Kiran.” Mako answered before I could. “Given that you are a month and a few days older than I am, you have to bite first.” 

“You got it.” Kiran smirked and winked at Mako, who rolled her eyes in response. 

Conversation turned back to training and various other topics. It wasn’t long after the food was finished that Lincoln and Octavia disappeared, followed closely by Anya and Raven. I watched as Kiran and Mako got set to leave, only for Kiran to spin back around and look at Clarke. 

“What does Dr. Walters think about this?” 

“Mother doesn’t know.” Clarke answered, her eyes going wide. “Oh shit.” 

“Yeah. You gonna tell her before or after?” 

Clarke looked at me before sitting back heavily. She seemed to be deep in thought for a moment, near completely lost in those thoughts. 

“I have to tell her. I hate to say it but I have to tell her before.” She answered, running her fingers through her golden locks. 

\-----------------------------------------------------

**Clarke:**

Dawn brought a tense atmosphere in the tent that I shared with Octavia and Raven. I knew that before dusk I would need to tell my mom that I would be bonding with Lexa. My mind went to whatever was between Kiran, Lexa, and my mom. Kiran seemed at times afraid of mom, but at the same time, she seemed angry. Lexa was down right hostile when she wasn’t discussing terms of the truce.

“Clarke.” a voice called from outside the tent. “Your mother is here to discuss terms.” 

“I’ll be out in a moment.” 

Footsteps left the front of the tent, leaving me in silence once more. Standing and slipping my boots on, I left the comfort of the tent and into the grey of the morning. 

“Clarke Kiran Griffin!” I heard my name called from across the camp. I spun on my feet and spotted the culprit. My mother stood just inside the main camp circle, her hands on her hips and a death glare on her face. 

“Abigail Walters Griffin!” I countered, rolling my eyes. “Do you want to continue to yell or do you want to talk like adults?” 

“Don’t get smart with me young lady. It’s time for you, Raven, John, and Octavia to come back to the Ark and be with your own kind.” 

“My Own Kind?” I shifted on my feet and glared at her. “Interesting that you didn’t include Kiran in that list as she is Skaikru.” 

“The savages can have her.” my mother muttered, shaking her head. “Enough of this, honestly. You are acting like these savages will be our saving grace.” 

“The leader of these ‘savages’ is about to be your daughter-in-law.” I watched her face go from passive anger to nearly a full out temper tantrum. “That’s right.” 

“I forbid it. You are still under age, you cannot marry without my consent.” 

“My 18th birthday was three days ago. I can do what I please. Also, as the Leader of Skaikru, I can do what benefits everyone. If that means I am bonded to Leska, so be it. We both feel the same thing about each other.” 

“I am the Chancellor, you will follow my orders.” 

“I am the leader of Skaikru. You just have the title.” I argued, sick of her attitude. “Why do you hate them so much? And what did you do to Kiran?”

“I did nothing to that freak. She’s been psychotic since I met her in lock up.” I watched my mother turn from the woman I knew into a monster that I could never have imagined. 

“Whatever you did to her… gave her nightmares so vicious that the last time she had them, she nearly broke her arm trying to wake up.” I shook my head and sighed. “The proposition has been made, the bonding is tonight. There is nothing you can do to stop it. At this point, the best you can do now, is accept it and go back to the Ark.” 

“Giving yourself to the savages will do nothing but destroy you. I thought my daughter was smarter than that.” She snapped, turning on her feet. “You are no daughter of mine.” 

“Chancellor Griffin…” 

“No. She doesn’t get to use that name. My godson should have chosen better.” Kiran spoke up from beside Lexa who had spoken before her. “Chancellor Walters…” 

“Chancellor Walters, if you have issues with the bonding of your daughter, perhaps you should discuss it in private with the parties involved. Rather than scream about it at the center of camp.” Leska spoke up, her hand on Kiran’s shoulder. 

“I have nothing to say to you.” Mom shifted and began to walk away. “No daughter of mine would be willing to sell herself for power.” 

I watched as she disappeared from sight, unable to move from the spot I had been standing. It wasn’t until a hand wrapped around my waist did I realize that my mother had given up on me. She had just said that I wasn’t her daughter anymore. I felt the wave of emotion roll over me. A mix of sorrow and anger. 

“You are a daughter of the Griffin bloodline; that is all you need.” Kiran said, pulling me tightly against her. “If Jake was anything like his grandfather, he would be so proud of you and the woman you have become.” 

Kiran guided me to Leska’s tent and we disappeared inside. The sounds of camp coming to life falling quiet as the tent flap closed. 

\-----------------------------------

**Author's Note:**

> Major thanks to TimeToLive1 who gave me the courage to actually post this.


End file.
